


Forever Changed

by willowaus



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:36:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 88,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4417745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowaus/pseuds/willowaus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a once in a lifetime whirlwind romance and neither ever recovered from the eventual heartbreak. Can a chance meeting help right past wrongs and allow for second chances? A Klaroline Parent Trap AU/AH</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.-_ _**Mignon McLaughlin** _

* * *

**June 2004**

Hospitals were not a place Caroline Forbes had wanted to step foot inside of again for a very long time. The smell of the place, the hopeful yet depressive atmosphere got under her skin and she had tried so hard to scrub it clean after her last time in the Mystic Falls hospital but she was convinced she had never quite gotten the essence of it off of her. Maybe she never would. Maybe it was supposed to remain there, a reminder of why she had spent most of the December of her senior year at her mother's bedside watching as the doctors had been unable to do anything but ease her pain before she died.

But Bonnie  _wasn't_  dying.  _Thank god_. Even if she had definitely seemed like she was going to with the amount of pain she had been in the other day when the ambulance had rushed her here.

Appendicitis.

One operation and appendix removed later and Grams had said she was recovering normally. Caroline didn't  _have_  to go see her, Bonnie would be released in the next day or so and back home to rest, but Caroline wasn't about to let her distaste for the hospital keep her from seeing her best friend.

It was good to conquer fears, right? Plus balloons and a teddy bear were better to be received in the hospital than at home. It just didn't have the same pizzazz.

"Hey!" Caroline greeted, all bright smiles as she popped her head into the room, holding tightly onto the balloon strings and teddy bear. These things were not allowed to float off on her watch. She had specifically picked Bonnie's favorite colors and they needed to decorate Bonnie's hotel room for the next few days.

"You didn't have to come, Care," Bonnie protested meekly from where she lay on the hospital bed. "You just missed Grams but you'll see her later anyway."

"I saw her on my way in and  _of course_  I needed to come. What kind of best friend doesn't bring balloons and teddy bears to the hospital?" Caroline tied the balloons off on one of the poles and placed the bear down besides Bonnie. "His name is Mr. Snuggles."

"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to name him," Bonnie grinned, shaking her head at the small purple bear.

"When have I ever let you name any of the bears I get you? Tried that when we were four. You called him George." Caroline sat down on the chair, sighing dramatically at the memory.

"It's a good name," Bonnie protested before laughing. She cringed at the pain that erupted in her side at that before smiling weakly at Caroline's concern.

"How's the Jell-O? Did you get the green kind yet? Mom…she hated that one. The red and orange were her favorite." Caroline moved her purse around, not quite sure what to do with it as she talked, desperately needing the distraction.

"I remember," Bonnie reached over to her, squeezing her hand. "Thanks for coming."

"I don't wear this charm bracelet for nothing," Caroline held it up, showing off the dangling half of a heart that had the word best inscribed on it. Bonnie had a matching one with friend, though it was back home since they had needed to remove it for the surgery. "Did you get a cute doctor?"

Bonnie shook her head. "She's okay I guess. Not really my taste."

Caroline laughed at that before seeming to relax a little. "I talked to the doctor though. Apparently I can't fly for like two weeks," Bonnie told her, hating that bit of news.

"It's okay. We'll just do something around here for our summer. Maybe we can go to DC for a weekend trip when you're better." It wasn't quite as magnificent as a cruise on the Mediterranean, but that was okay, they would make do.

"Caroline, you're going on the cruise," Bonnie told her and Caroline shook her head. "Your dad paid a  _fortune_ for it. At least one of us has to still go."

"He's just trying to buy my forgiveness for not having been there when mom died," Caroline muttered, still not quite over the fact that he hadn't been there even though a canceled flight and being snowed in Chicago had been a decent reason. At least Stephen had been able to make it.

"And you've been talking about it non-stop for months," Bonnie reminded, looking pointedly at her when Caroline simply shrugged. "You've been talking about Europe since we were like nine. It's your graduation gift. You're going."

"But what about you?" Caroline didn't like the idea of going off to have fun while leaving a recovering Bonnie behind.

"I will live vicariously through all of your MySpace updates about what you're doing and seeing. I'm not taking no for an answer on this and Grams is already on my side. We're bringing you to the airport in three days whether or not you're packed so you'll probably want to be packed," Bonnie told her, thankful that her grandmother was in on the conspiracy. No one could say no to Sheila Bennett. Not even Caroline Forbes.

"When did you get so bossy?" Caroline pouted, slumping back against the chair. "We had so many plans. Plans for  _two_. Seeing Pompeii is so not going to be as great without you."

"You could always take Elena," Bonnie told her and Caroline tried her hardest  _not_ to make a face at that. She liked Elena Gilbert, they were friends, but the idea of spending nearly three weeks traveling with her when it was supposed to be her and Bonnie's trip simply didn't sit well with her.

"And pull her away from another summer of trying to choose which Salvatore brother?" She pressed a hand to her chest, tsking at Bonnie. "I am not that heartless."

"Don't tell me you're still jealous that Stefan never gave you a chance," Bonnie chided, trying not to burst into giggles at the annoyed look she received from Caroline.

"I stopped pining for Stefan after the whole Secret Santa fiasco of junior year," Caroline rolled her eyes, already remembering that ridiculous gift exchange.

"Oh yes. The Mystic Falls snow globe," Bonnie pressed her lips together, remembering how quickly that thing had gotten lost.

"I deserve better than last minute gas station gifts," Caroline muttered, shaking her head at the idea of it. Was it too much to want someone who actually valued her?

"Like an amazing twenty day cruise trips to the Mediterranean?" Bonnie pointed out and Caroline pursed her lips at that. "That you're going to have fun on. You never know, maybe you'll meet Mr. Right there."

"Or at least Mr. Right Now," Caroline grinned, and scooted the chair closer to the bed, curling up on it so she could rest her head on it. "But fine, I guess I'll still go."

"Like you had a choice," Bonnie replied as she picked up the remote and turned on the TV for them. "George II and I would have pestered you until you left."

"His name is Mr. Snuggles!" Caroline protested, laughing and unable to help smiling as Bonnie quietly giggled too. Her friend was right. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and while it wasn't quite going to plan she couldn't simply throw it away. She would have plenty of time to spend with Bonnie once she got back anyway.

* * *

Klaus had known that when he graduated from law school that he would be swept right into the family firm. It had been pretty much set since he was born that it would happen. Every Mikaelson son before him had done it and while Kol was supposed to follow suit as well, Klaus had a feeling that was a very lofty dream. It was still a surprise that his brother had managed to snag an undergrad degree and he didn't seem interested at all in getting anything higher than that.

Not that Klaus didn't love what he did. Ripping apart the opposition was something that he couldn't seem to get enough of. There was a reason he was nicknamed The Wolf in most lawyer circles, something about once he got his teeth into something he wasn't going to let go until he had uncovered every dark secret to help the firm's clients get the results they wanted to see.

It was grueling though, the hours were long, and seeing the seedy underbelly of people had slowly sapped out the boy he had once been. Or so his sister was always so fond of telling him whenever she saw him.

"You got us on an  _old person_ cruise?" Kol ranted as they were led toward the check-in counter on board.

Klaus glanced around, taking note of the other passengers who were also doing so. They did seem to be on the older end of the cruise going spectrum. "Elijah is the one who booked this," Klaus reminded. No doubt he had thought that by doing so would help keep Kol from ruining the family name  _too_ much while still giving into his whims.

"This is my last hoorah before you all ship me off to become the next Mikaelson drone and I'm surrounded by grey hairs and dentures instead of bikinis and tube tops," Kol groaned as Klaus handed over their information and their bags were taken away to be delivered to their room.

"Feel free to whine to Elijah and let him know how you feel about it," Klaus replied, not wanting to deal with the sulking.

"Maybe I can find a single old lady to become my sugar momma. Did you know that's a thing? I saw it on the telly. I think I could fit quite well into that lifestyle," Kol continued, and Klaus shook his head. Usually Kol's antics could bring a bit of a smile out from him but after the flight and traffic with Kol's constant prattling, Klaus wanted nothing more than to let his brother head off for whatever debauchery he would be getting himself into so that he could enjoy a bottle of scotch in quiet.

"Or one of the crew," Kol told him, his gaze drifting over to a redhead who was carrying towels. He winked at her, enjoying the way she blushed. "Maybe a few of them." Perhaps this trip wouldn't be a complete loss. "I'm sure you'll find one to your liking as well, Nik. Something to get you away from those files you brought."

Klaus ignored him, thanking the man behind the counter for their keys before barely listening to the rest of the information. His attention was on the young woman who was following behind another of the crew members, though her gaze remained upwards. She was looking at every last inch of the ship, the awe in her features as she glanced around, before hurrying to follow the crewman beckoning to her, took Klaus' breath away.

There was no denying that she was beautiful with her blonde hair and legs that seemed to go on for miles, but it was the wonder he saw in her, the pure happiness that she seemed to be radiating as she moved to check in a few feet away from them, that had him watching her. Klaus couldn't remember the last time he had felt as carefree as she seemed to look.

"She looks like a tasty little thing," Kol murmured, and Klaus snapped to look at him, unsure why he felt so vehemently annoyed with those words about this girl he didn't even know.

"Let's go," he ordered, glaring at his brother as the two of them headed off to go find their room. He turned back to see her one more time but it was useless, the check-in area was growing more crowded and it seemed that she had already been led off toward wherever she was staying.

Perhaps he would see her again later. The cruise wasn't that big and considering Kol looked to be correct in his earlier assessment about most passengers' ages Klaus didn't think it would be too difficult to find her. It might take a bit of legwork but it wasn't as if that had ever stopped him from getting something that he wanted and Klaus was certain that he at least wanted to meet  _her_. Maybe then he could shake off the allure of that smile and the excitement he had seen in her eyes, a reflection of what he had used to see in the mirror long ago, and for the first time in years desperately wanted to get back.

"Come on, Nik," Kol urged, breaking Klaus from his thoughts and he headed after his brother, desperately ready for that scotch.

* * *

"You do not need to carry me through the threshold!" Caroline protested, clinging tightly to Klaus as he swept her off her feet before she could enter his room— _their room._

"I'm fairly certain that's part of the tradition,  _Mrs. Mikaelson_ ," he pointed out, and she bit her lip at his bright smile. It wasn't a smirk or one of those 'know-it all ones' that she knew she made her fair share of as well. It was genuine, it was sweet, and considering how weak it made her knees maybe it was a good thing that he had picked her up.

"Well then, carry on, husband of mine," she told him, reciprocating the smile and laughing as he struggled to get the card into the machine to swipe it. Caroline took it from him and slid it through before he practically kicked the door open. She should have chided him about that, would have, but his mouth was pressing urgently against her own.

She never heard the door shut as he carried her across the living area of the room—so much bigger than her former one—and pressed her down onto the bed. Her arms never left him just as his mouth never left her, though it was currently skimming down her neck and making her close her eyes at the contact. Caroline could hardly believe everything that had happened in the last two weeks, how he'd gone from being the insufferable man with the annoying, immature brother, to her  _husband_ , but his hands moving against her back and trying to pull the zipper of her wedding dress down had her pushing all thoughts away. Her focus was on him, on trying to get the ridiculous tie off of him so she could remove the rest of the clothing that was in her way.

Though…

"Where's Kol?" Because the last thing she wanted was a recurrence of their first time with that halfwit stumbling in drunk and catching Klaus's head between her thighs.

"He'll be staying in your room from now on." Klaus reached to help with the wrangling of his time, looking entirely too amused with her inability to get it off. She frowned at that, not really wanting Kol to be going through her clothes. "I already had the luggage switched out."

"Don't you just think of everything," she teased, not surprised that he had. Klaus seemed to have back up plans for his original back up plans from what she'd seen of the last two weeks. She could only imagine what he would be like at home.

_Home_.

Oh my god.

"Where are we going to live?" Caroline asked, looking wide-eyed at him. How had they not thought about this? "Like I have my mom's place in Mystic Falls but that would be a seriously big commute for you and I had a great childhood and all but I wanted to get  _out_ of there."

"I suppose it's a good thing I have a flat in London," Klaus mused, clearly not as worried as she seemed to be about everything.

She pushed him back, the trepidation that hadn't come earlier now wanting to overwhelm her. "And college. I'm supposed to go to college. That's the next stage. I did high school so now it's college."

"There are a number of colleges in London, sweetheart," Klaus told her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"I didn't apply to any there!" she protested, frowning when he kissed her nose. He always seemed to do that whenever he thought she looked adorable.

"Didn't you have a perfect SAT score—I believe that's what you called it—and were valedictorian of your class, head of a number of committees if I recall?" he reminded and she nodded.

"Well yeah but…"

"We don't have to figure every bit of it out right now, Caroline," Klaus assured, and she gave him a pointed look at that. Clearly that did not sit well with her need for control and knowing what was going to happen next. He wasn't the only one who liked his plans.

"But…"

He brought his hands to her face, gently cupping her cheeks. "We'll make it work," he promised and she nodded, needing to believe that, willing to believe it. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his mouth before pulling away again.

He looked ready to assure her all over again but she turned her back toward him. "Think you can get the zipper now, Mr. Mikaelson?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Klaus. She needed to suck in a breath at the way he looked at her, like she held the moon and stars in her hands just for him. She might never get used to that look but she cherished it every time that she saw it.

He swept her hair out of the way as she turned back; pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he slowly began to unzip her dress. They would make it work. There wasn't allowed to be any other alternative.

Caroline stood up, letting the dress pool at her feet as she turned around to face Klaus again. She couldn't help but smirk as he took her in; reminding her of the first time they'd been in this cruise room together. That had been a hurried affair though, barely able to keep their hands off one another as they had stumbled through the room, trying to make it back to the bed before eventually reaching it.

There was nothing hurried in the way he reached for her, hands sliding down her sides as she rested her hands on his shoulders and allowed him to tug her closer. "I thought you were insufferable," she murmured as Klaus dipped down to press a kiss to her hip. She couldn't seem to keep quiet, to not voice her thoughts even when the random chatter wasn't needed. It was a habit of hers and one she didn't think she would ever quite overcome.

His fingers brushed along the top of her underwear as his mouth moved upward, placing kisses along her stomach. "Loathsome. Annoying. Definitely stalkerish."

He paused, glancing up at her with a quirked brow before reaching her breasts. "You  _just happened_  to be at every place that I was!" she reminded, rolling her eyes.

"Happy coincidences," Klaus pointed out, and it truly had been at first. He tugged her closer as he fell back on the bed, causing her to fall on top of him. "I believe I interrupted your trip down memory lane though." She arched a brow at that. "You forgot  _charming._ "

Caroline quirked her lips. "Well…" she tapped her fingers along his chest, giggling at the playful narrowing of his eyes. " _Vaguely_  charming."

"Vaguely?" Klaus asked as he slid his hands up her back, undoing the clasp her bra.

"More charming than Kol was," she told him as she slipped the straps of the bra off her shoulders and down her arms before tossing it away, not really caring where it landed for the moment. "And you're wearing way too many clothes now."

She kissed him before he could answer that, wanting to have the last word, and started working on the buttons of his shirt. His hands were gliding over her skin, almost as if he was trying not to leave an inch of it untouched before they tangled in her hair. There was an urgency now as she pressed her knees into the mattress on either side of him, pushing the unbuttoned shirt open to be able to run her fingers along his chest before helping him pull it off his arms.

Klaus took that moment to maneuver her underneath him again, lips pressing against hers before she could utter any sort of protest. His hands moved down her body, cupping her breasts in his hands as he felt her fumble with his belt. Thumbs brushed over her nipples while his mouth left hers, seeking out the tenderness of her neck, teeth scraping along the skin there. He smirked at her moan, delighting in the fact he had already learned a few of her favorite spots. He wanted to spend a lifetime committing every single one of them to record.

Belt unbuckled she moved to trying to get the stubborn buttons and zipper next, lips curving into a smirk at how hard she could feel that he already was. Klaus continued his movements down her body though, too far out of reach for her hands once he pressed his mouth to her stomach again, fingers fiddling with the garters on her thighs.

They were gone along with her panties after a few moments. She had propped herself up on her elbows to watch him but knew that wouldn't be lasting as soon as she lay bare before him, especially not when his head was between her thighs again. She fell back, gripping the cover beneath them as she felt his tongue and fingers on her and in her.

"God," she breathed out, shutting her eyes as she arched into him. She knew he had that damn smirk on his face as he continued, the pleasure building all throughout her body. "You…I just…there…oh  _jeebus…_ "

She didn't remember moving her hands but somehow they were in his curls, not wanting Klaus to move from where he was as she got precariously closer to that edge her body needed to dive off of. Not that he would move, but touching him was infinitely better than simply grabbing the sheets. Especially when he continued stroking her as she came, gasping out his name as she clenched her eyes closed, body straining from the release.

His mouth and hands moved to her thighs, kissing and touching their way up her body again. She heard the sound of his clothes being removed, the condom package being opened, but was still coming down off her high and had her eyes closed. She opened them when Klaus pressed his naked body to hers, his hands brushing away the hair that had fallen in her face.

"I do quite enjoy when you start talking gibberish?" Klaus reminded her and Caroline gently punched his shoulder before pressing a kiss to his nose.

She scraped her nails down his back, smiling at his little hiss, before his mouth crashed down against hers, the urgency rearing its head again. Caroline shifted, legs parting more for him as Klaus settled easily between her thighs, pressing his erection slowly into her. He groaned at the tightness of her, pressing his forehead against hers as their eyes closed, adjusting to the new position. It didn't take long for them to start moving, finding a rhythm that worked for the two of them as she wrapped her legs around him, urging him to go deeper.

Klaus eagerly did so, enjoying the way Caroline's head pressed back against the bed at that, loving the way her mouth opened in a silent moan, her nails digging into his back as she held onto him. He slipped one hand between their bodies, seeking out her clit, knowing the extra pressure against it would drive her wild. This was his wife beneath him, coming completely undone around him all over again, and there was nothing else that compared to the beauty of that.

Except her smile.

Klaus pressed his face into the crook of her neck as he reached his own release. They stayed locked together for a few more moments, both breathing hard before he pulled out and rolled off of her. He brought her with him as he did so, letting Caroline curl onto his chest.

He had never expected to fall in love, to care for someone as he did Caroline. Definitely never expected for it all to happen in such a short period of time, but Klaus had meant what he had told her, they would make this work, because he couldn't handle life without this light in it now that he had found it.

* * *

**April 2005**

She was gone.

Not even an entire year since they had first met, since he had first seen Caroline's smiling face, and she had left. It was a wound that Klaus was certain would never quite heal, an ache that he would never be able to overcome. He still couldn't believe what had happened, wasn't quite sure what had transpired or how everything had gotten so wrong when it had started off perfectly.

He stared at the bed,  _their_  bed, at the spot where she used to sleep. The last book she had been reading was still on the nightstand. No doubt her scent would still be all over the pillows, the sheets. He wasn't sure if that was something he wanted or if he needed to strip and burn them to rip her from his mind.

He needed a drink, needed to sink into the bottle and let it erase every inch of hurt from his body for a few hours. Maybe then he could extinguish every inch of her presence from his life, could manage to get them into the trash and discard her as easily as Caroline had been able to do to him.

Except he knew that wasn't true.

He had seen her blinking back the tears, had watched as her stepfather had helped her get into the taxi, watched as she rested her head against Stephen's shoulder and heard the start of her sobs as the driver closed the door.

He had nearly run to her then, to plea for a chance to work everything out, to try and fix whatever had become broken along the way. Klaus wasn't sure what had happened and it would haunt him until his death if he never figured it out.

Scotch seemed to be the answer and he headed out toward his office to retrieve some, stopping when he heard a sound from his daughters' room.  _Daughter's room._  Only one now. The other was most likely in the air by now with her mother, flying away from him, from  _them_. Klaus pushed open the door, swallowing at the sight of the ducks and bunnies he had spent a weekend painting with Caroline. Every inch of the room had been painstakingly picked out by her, the love she had for their children in every nook and cranny and Klaus wasn't sure if he loved or hated the reminder.

The baby was wailing and Klaus heard his siblings start moving about, ready to come and help out, but he closed the door, not wanting to deal with their incessant need to interfere and headed over to the two month old. He picked her up and headed to the rocking chair as he had done countless times before, though Caroline was usually in the other rocker that sat empty beside the other crib that would remain empty as well.

"It's okay," Klaus murmured, rubbing the infant's back as Rebekah peaked in.

"Does Elizabeth need her bottle now?" his sister asked and he frowned at that, the formality of the name. "Or a diaper change. I can do that if you need."

"It's Lizzie," Klaus reminded, needing to go by how Caroline had referred to her. "And we're fine, Rebekah. I'm more than capable of caring for my daughter."

"I was just trying to help," she snapped and slammed the door as she left. He could hear her huffing and puffing as she headed back to her room, but he ignored it, his focus on his daughter who was slowly falling back to sleep in his arms.

He placed Lizzie back in the crib after a while, ready to head back to his room to try and get some sleep when he spotted the photograph from only a few weeks before. It was him and Caroline holding the girls and for the first time he noticed that her smile wasn't quite as bright as it had been when he first met her.

Part of it yearned to know what had happened to dull it while the other hoped she was as miserable as him. He hated himself for that feeling but misery always did love company.

* * *

**June 2015**

"Think about it," Lizzie started, walking back and forth in the cabin. The idea wouldn't leave her head. There was simply no way that anyone could look  _exactly_ like her for no reason. "I only have a father and have never seen my mother. And you only have a mother and have never seen your father." She could see that Charlotte wasn't quite wanting to go along with it, still shaking her head at what had to be an absurd idea.

"I only have one picture of my mum and you only have one picture of your dad," she continued, trying to get the girl to see reason. "It's not actually a whole picture though. It's pathetic really. It's crinkled and ripped."

"Like it's been ripped right down the middle?" Charlotte asked, looking wide eyed at her and finally getting Lizzie to stop yammering on.

"Yes. Exactly like that." Lizzie looked over at her suitcase almost at the exact same time that Charlotte looked over her own.

They headed toward their own luggage, each pulling out their coveted photograph and holding it to their chests. "We do this together. On the count of three, okay?" Charlotte told her, and Lizzie nodded as she turned back to look at her.

They slowly counted down, taking small steps toward one another before turning their photographs around. "That's my father," Lizzie gasped, staring at the picture Charlotte was holding.

"And that's my mom," Charlotte murmured, blinking back tears as the two of them sat down, putting the photographs side by side on the floor. They fit perfectly together.

Nothing would ever be the same after that.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_In your life, you meet people. Some you never think about again. Some, you wonder what happened to them. There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do-. C._

* * *

**June 2004**

It was a whirlwind of one sight after another for Caroline ever since leaving Mystic Falls. The airport wasn't that big of a deal. She had been in it more times than she could remember to fly out to visit her father and Stephen ever since they had moved out to California. The airplane had been another story though, vastly different than the crammed spaces she was used to on her cross-country flight.

She was thankful that her father had gotten her a window seat in the business class section and because of Bonnie being unable to come along (and thankfully no one snapping up the canceled seat at the last minute) she'd had a whole seat between her and the other passenger in her section of the row. That was good considering the man who resided there had done nothing but work the entire time, causing Caroline to miss the older women she usually found herself riding beside. Not talking for so many hours was a hardship she didn't like to endure and those women were usually as much of a chatterbox as she could be.

Thankfully she hadn't needed to figure out her own way to the cruise ship because of the car her father had hired to take her there and once onboard she was pleased to find that people did speak English. The only other language she knew was French and she doubted what she knew would do much more than help her locate the nearest bathroom.

Everything was tucked away into her stateroom on board—one that was definitely bigger than the one she had back home. So was the bathroom. Or at least at her old home, her mother's house that she hadn't stepped foot in after packing clothes that she'd need for staying at Bonnie's once her mother had been admitted to the hospital for good.

She didn't want to think about that though and pushed it to the deepest recesses of her mind, focusing instead on the artwork hanging on the walls of the bar area that she was in. She couldn't seem to stop widening her eyes at the intricacy of the architecture of the ship, all of the little details that were in the walls and on the floors, from the fabric to the paint.

Caroline sat down at one of the tables near the window that overlooked the port, watching others meander up the ramp to board the ship. The city of Barcelona was behind them and to the right and left and she wished she had gotten time to meander through it before being whisked away to the cruise ship but maybe she could do that when they returned to the port at the end of the journey.

Turning away from the view she spread the ship's map out in front of her, making mental notes of where everything was located, wondering what parts she wanted to see first and the best pathway to take so that she could see all of them. She jotted down various scenarios in her little notepad.

"You don't actually need to see every nook and cranny of it on day one, love," a British voice spoke and Caroline shivered at it, always a sucker for accents before she realized that it was being directed at her.

She looked up, brow creased to find a man that seemed to personify the sexiness of that accent sitting across from her. White loose button down shirt and aviator glasses that were hiding eyes she had a feeling fitted well with the accent as well. She hadn't even realized he'd sat down and quickly closed the notebook she'd been scribbling in. "Actually they recommend that you do that. Supposedly it helps ward off seasickness." At least that's what her research had said. "Helps you acclimate instead of just sitting around in your room and feeling the ship moving below you."

He arched a brow at that and she didn't like how amused he looked in that moment. She was never a fan of others finding her to be funny and like hell was she going to let some stranger dampen her first day. He seemed to notice her consternation and gestured to the map that she hadn't put away yet. Caroline cringed at that, mentally berating herself for leaving it out on the table.

Not that she actually cared about this random stranger's opinion. Though he definitely hit all of the criteria for her Mr. Right Now scenario. "Klaus," the man said, breaking her from her thoughts and she hoped she hadn't been staring at his lips. From his smirk she had a feeling that she had been.

"Hmm?" Caroline asked, folding up the map and slipping it to the side with her notebook.

"My name is Klaus," Klaus told her, and she wondered if this was one of those serial killer scenarios. "It's customary for you to tell me your name now."

She  _was_  all by herself on this twenty day cruise, with like no one she knew and who would even be checking up on her? Bonnie and her father would eventually, but not for like twenty days and she could totally be in the ocean and being eaten by sharks by the time that happened.

"I know self-defense," she told him, narrowing her eyes as she looked him over, wondering what exactly a serial killer would look like. They had to be charming, didn't they? That was how they lured their victims in, wasn't it?

Klaus arched a brow, clearly amused with her response. "Pardon?"

"I can hold my own," Caroline continued, still eyeing him up.

"I don't doubt that for a moment," Klaus replied, and before she realized it he was waving over one of the bartenders. "I'll have a glass of your best scotch." He looked over at her. "What would you like?"

Something told Caroline that asking for a beer would not do in this situation and besides she could  _legally drink_ here, might as well take advantage of that. "A strawberry margarita. Frozen. And can I get an umbrella with it please?" She noticed Klaus' continued amusement and quirked her lips at him. "What?"

"I believe I'm still waiting for your name, Ms. Karate Star." That shouldn't have had her blushing but it did.

"I'm Caroline." She was certain that her mother was rolling over in her grave with that admission. Though her mother had also told her to 'not let life slip you by and be spontaneous once in a while.' So really, she was simply following the woman's directives. "And I really do know karate." Or well…sort of. She hadn't continued it after elementary school but she could hold her own.

Okay, she really didn't want to talk about that any longer. She glanced around, looking at the columns in the room. "I still can't believe how beautiful this place is. I can't wait to take it all in."

"I'm not sure whether it's trying for an Italian or Japanese influence. The mingling of the two doesn't quite work for it," Klaus replied as the bartender brought their drinks over. "Though this line does seem to be far better than some of the others out there in that respect. Actual artwork from up and coming artists instead of replications of the masters."

Caroline swirled the tiny umbrella around in her drink, nodding at that. She wouldn't have been able to pick out a replica from the original anyway. As long as it looked pretty who cared? "You've seen one cruise ship; you've pretty much seen them all. On the top deck will be where you can swim and tan. The deck under it for a few other relaxing activities such as the spa and the dining areas for lunch," Klaus told her and her eyes lit up at that, wanting to jot it down so she'd remember those tidbits. She refrained from getting out her notebook to do so though.

"I'm kind of hoping the pool isn't ridiculously crowded every day. I hear that it can be." Considering how many people could be on board it wouldn't be all that surprising it if was.

"It'll depend on the time of day and if we're docked or not." Oh that was good to know. "Around deck seven is where you'll find the other forms of entertainment—nothing all that interesting. Acts that were unable to find a job at a more worthwhile establishment," Klaus continued and Caroline pursed her lips at that, not liking his assessment at all. There had been a few shows that she had put on her list of things to see. "The drinks are decent though, don't you think sweetheart?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad," she muttered, hating how he was bringing down her excitement level.

"A high school talent show would have better pickings," he continued and she pursed her lips at that, wishing he'd go away. Why was he at her table anyway? There were like a hundred empty ones for him to choose from.

"Well, I doubt all of us have your incredibly high standards," she bit out, not finding the drink appealing any longer. "At least if the on board talent sucks there's plenty of excursions at all of the different ports."

"Depending on the guide you get they can be terribly dull. Especially if you book through the cruise line." That last bit just seemed to utterly deflate her. Of course that's what she'd done. Wasn't that what you were supposed to do?

"Or maybe they just don't work out all that well for you," she murmured, rolling her eyes at his assessment of everything.

"I've annoyed you," Klaus replied, looking her over and Caroline shrugged, not really wanting to carry on the conversation.

She rose from the table and gathered her things. "Thanks for the drink but I think I'm done now."

"Caroline."

She didn't expect him to hurry after her, stepping into her pathway and she stopped, thankful she hadn't tripped into him. Her hands were on her hips as she glared at him.

"Look, sweetheart. Let me make it up to you," Klaus started and she shook her head, having no desire to bother with him any longer. "Come, sit back and finish your drink with me."

"Look,  _Klaus_. One, my name is  _Caroline_  which you've already shown you know how to use so I'd prefer that to love or sweetheart or whatever other little endearment that you have in your repertoire." The pet names reminded her of high school boyfriends she'd rather forget. They hadn't meant anything then and they certainly didn't mean anything now. "This is my first cruise; my first time seeing all that  _this_ has to offer and  _I_ think it's beautiful. So you'll excuse me if I don't want to spend time with someone who apparently thinks it's mediocre at best."

Klaus looked ready to say something but the sound of someone yelling "Nik!" had him sighing and Caroline rolled her eyes, not even a little surprised that the guy hadn't told her his real name. She took the opportunity to slip out of the room when he turned toward the voice, grateful that the elevator was open and she was on it before he had a chance to try and stop her again.

The nerve of that guy. Her entire body was trembling with anger at him. Rationally she knew he hadn't done much aside from be a jerk but she'd dealt with enough jerks in high school, which she was now a graduate of, shouldn't men his age (he looked to be a few years older than her at least) be more mature? They couldn't all be like Damon Salvatore, could they?

_Ugh._

She seriously hoped not.

From the accent and body alone she wouldn't have minded letting him be her  _Mr. Right Now_  like she'd told Bonnie she would try and find. Too bad he'd been an insufferable ass. One that apparently couldn't even tell her his  _real_  name.

Why did the really delicious guys always have to be assholes?

Caroline took a few deep breaths, mentally reminding herself that she probably wouldn't even see the ass again. It was a big ship. There would be a lot of passengers. She was going to have fun and not let some random guy's opinion color her experiences.

* * *

**Present Day**

"Didn't you already come through the line?" the woman behind the dessert counter asked, forehead creasing in confusion as she looked at Charlotte. "Where did your sweater go? Weren't you wearing a…"

Charlotte sighed, not for the first time wondering exactly how many of the workers at the camp needed to get their eyes checked. "This is our first time through, ma'am," April assured the woman, and Charlotte nodded at that.

"Plus can't we get as much dessert as we want anyway?" Vicki reminded, remembering that rule from orientation. As long as you got the rest of the courses you could have as much dessert as you wanted, just don't go crying to the health cabin over a stomach ache because you ate too many cookies.

"I really haven't been here yet," Charlotte told the woman who handed her the plate of cookies that she'd been after. "We just got out of archery."

She offered up a reassuring smile to the woman who nodded, not looking quite convinced, before the three headed over to pick out a drink to go along with their dinner. The other two were happily chatting away as they looked through the large bucket of ice for the juice that they wanted.

Charlotte could sense the woman still looking over at her, muttering something about a polk-a-dot dress that really didn't make  _any_ sense. She wouldn't be caught wearing polk-a-dots since the great Easter dress disaster when she was seven. Her mom wouldn't even buy her anything with polk-a-dots on it anymore.

It had been happening all week though, whenever they would head to an activity one of the adults would make a comment about how she'd already been through. Thankfully her cabin counselor always stepped in and assured that she definitely hadn't. The misidentifying was beginning to get ridiculous though and Charlotte wondered if she could ask Aunt Bonnie to send some herbs to enhance the counselor's memories or something.

Charlotte turned around and started to head for a table, content with the bottle of orange juice that she'd picked out, leaving the other two to continue to dig. She had worked up quite the appetite over the day and was  _starving._

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans for her instead of a nice, warm meal. One second she was nearly putting her tray down and the next she was being barreled into. Her grip on the tray faltered, bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy hitting her squarely in the chest.

Of course the cafeteria erupted in giggles and Charlotte despised how embarrassed she was feeling. She just knew she was going to be getting a nickname out of this incident. Probably potato girl or something like that.

_Ugh._

"Oh no! I'm so sorry," the other girl said, her eyes widening at the damage she'd done. It was the napkins that came next, smearing the potatoes and gravy even worse that had Charlotte flailing her hands.

"Stop! You're making it worse," Charlotte protested, pushing the girl's hands away.  _Ugh._ There went another clean shirt and this one hadn't even had grass stains on it yet.

"I'm simply trying to help," the girl snapped, dropping the dirty napkins into the trashcan.

"You've totally already done enough," Charlotte snapped back, glaring at the girl before blinking at the same annoyed look on the other girl's face. She saw the same look of confusion in the other girl's eyes and Charlotte found herself looking over the girl, trying to understand what was happening.

_How_  did they look so alike? This wasn't just a similarity, it was like she was looking in the mirror and seeing her reflection staring back.

"How is this even possible?" the other girl started, and Charlotte didn't like that she was noticing the strangeness as well.

There was a crowd growing around the two of them, everyone whispering about the same peculiarity and while Charlotte's mom seemed to enjoy the spotlight, Charlotte hated when it was for something she couldn't control. And  _this_  was definitely something she couldn't control. It was one thing while winning a sport or the science fair, but being looked at with people whispering was something she didn't think she would ever be able to accept. Her flight or fight response was definitely kicking in and she needed to leave.

"What are you going on about?" Charlotte snapped, wanting to get as far away from the girl and everyone else.

"Don't you see it? We look exactly alike!" the girl urged, waving a hand between the two of them.

"Hardly. My eyes fit with my face and my ears are definitely not as large as yours are," Charlotte snapped, thankful when the other girl pressed her lips together in anger before whirling around and walking away.

The group that had surrounded the two of them dissipated and Charlotte breathed out, happy to have no one staring at her anymore.

"That was totally freaky," Vicki murmured from behind. "She so looked like you, Char."

Charlotte shrugged, desperate to get away and ignore everything that had happened. She didn't even care about cookies that were wasted on the floor. "You know they say that everyone has a doppelganger out there in the world," April piped up as she scooped the crumbs off the ground and threw them into the trashcan.

"She's not my doppelganger," Charlotte rolled her eyes, not at all surprised at April's idea. "I think you've been reading way too many sci-fi novels. I'm gonna go and get some more food and napkins."

She left the other two to keep on passing theories off between the two of them and glanced around, spotting the other girl at a table in the back with some other campers. "It was an accident, Lizzie, try not to feel too bad," one of them assured the other girl and Charlotte scoffed at that.

How come she was getting all the sympathy when she wasn't the one walking around with a mess of potatoes on her shirt? How was that fair? She rolled her eyes again and headed over to grab one of the sandwiches, not really wanting to be in the cafeteria any longer.

Their resemblance  _did_  explain why everyone kept thinking she'd already been through the different activities. Obviously she just needed to excel so well in all of them that they would be able to tell the two of them apart enough that the double-takes would stop happening. Charlotte could almost hear Grandpa Stephen reminding her not to get too competitive, could practically see her mother's amused laugh at that, because Charlotte had definitely inherited that competitive edge from her.

Oh well.

She'd made it nearly an entire week without seeing the one girl;  _hopefully_ she could make it the rest of camp without seeing her.

* * *

Summer was a busy time in the event planning industry. There really wasn't a time of year that wasn't particularly heavy with various types of functions to lay out, but summer in Santa Barbara was a never ending line up of weddings, celebrity parties, internet design launches, and other random assortments of events. Her tiny business had grown into an almost monstrous undertaking in the last five years that she had been spearheading it. First college and then internships at a few different agencies had allowed her to gain a name for herself and acquire all the connections that were needed to really make any headway in the business.

It definitely had helped to have her father and Stephen's support, letting her plan out a number of their functions for their Internet Company had allowed for a lot of doors to open with their friends. Caroline's perfectionist eye, charm, and hard work ethic had done the rest.

She headed into the office, smiling brightly as she sipped her coffee. Her phone vibrated in her pocket  _again_  and after a quick look at who was trying to contact her she ignored it  _again_. "Lucy's out of the orchids that we need for the Festern Quinceañera," Judy told her as soon as she entered, phone already out and ready to list off the other few snafus that needed to be dealt with.

"Then remind her that this is the third time she's failed to deliver and let Jaque know we'll be doing business with him permanently from now on," Caroline told her as she tossed the empty cup into the waste basket. She surveyed the room, noting who was already out and who was busily typing away on the computer or chatting with clients.

"Your dad called. He said dinner is at 7 and he's not taking no for an answer. Just because Charlotte's not here doesn't mean family dinner is kaput," Judy continued, and Caroline pursed her lips at that. " _His_  words, not mine. He also said to let you know that if you're not home by 6:30 that he'll just bring dinner here."

Seemed like she wouldn't get away with working late at the office tonight. Was it her fault that she didn't particular want to be home without Charlotte there? The house felt infinitely emptier without her daughter's constant chatter and she missed her. "Mrs. Aldivar called and she'll be about thirty minutes late for her meeting. You don't have anything near her so it shouldn't mess up the schedule."

Caroline nodded, not at all surprised that the woman was going to be late. She had been late every other time they had scheduled something. If she hadn't been the wife of a city councilmen then Caroline would have probably dropped her from the client list, but considering how many functions the woman needed planned a year, a few late sessions was something she would deal with. "And Tyler's called. About five times since we opened," Judy finished, as they entered Caroline's office.

"I'll return his call later." Like she had said she would do yesterday after his bombshell at the lunch they'd had. Apparently giving her one day to think things over had been too much of a thing to ask. "Thanks, Jude."

The older woman nodded, setting down a list of everything that she had gone over and a few other minor details that needed to be looked into at some point during the day. Her cellphone lit up again, Tyler's picture staring at her from the screen and Caroline hit the button again, ignoring his call. It was too early in the morning to deal with any of that.

She pushed the button on her office phone, listening to the various messages that had been left in the hours the office had been closed, and jotted down notes on who she needed to call back, who to hand off to one of her staff to deal with, and made notes on a the calls that didn't need to be returned. "Care," Tyler's voice started on the machine and she leaned back in her chair, thankful that the rest of the staff were far enough away that they wouldn't be able to hear what he had to say. "I know my question must have come as a big shock, but come on. I need an answer. I deserve one. You can't avoid me forever."

"So what exactly does Tyler need an answer on?" a voice piped up from the doorway and Caroline looked up to see Bonnie leaning against it, bag of bagels in hand.

Caroline mentally slapped herself for forgetting that today was their usual coffee and bagel catch up session. She could always lie, but Caroline knew that lying to Bonnie Bennett  _never_  went all that well for her. And not just because Bonnie seemed to have a sixth sense for lies but because Caroline had very easy tells when she was trying to skirt the truth.

Bonnie shut the office door and placed the bag down on the desk, waiting for an answer. "He asked me to marry him," Caroline murmured, grabbing at the bag so she had a reason to not look at Bonnie. She really didn't want to see her friend's reaction to that.

She could feel it though, could imagine what Bonnie's face was doing in her mind. The surprise, the confusion over why Caroline wasn't busting from the seams with happiness, and then the worry mixed with a readiness to lay down some cold hard truths.

"I thought you liked Tyler?" Bonnie asked, taking the bag back as Caroline slowly smeared cream cheese onto a bagel.

"I do…" She did like Tyler but marriage wasn't about  _liking_ someone. Marriage was about loving someone…and even then she'd already learned how little that seemed to matter. "He hasn't even met Charlotte yet. You know I don't like her to meet men I see unless it's serious."

"I'd think a marriage proposal is pretty serious, Caroline," Bonnie pointed out and Caroline couldn't discount that. It was serious and yet…

"I haven't said yes yet. That's why he keeps calling. I told him this was a huge decision and I needed to think." Apparently he thought she'd had enough time to do so.

"Why not?" Bonnie was watching her carefully and Caroline didn't mean to touch the necklace that she was wearing, the one that she kept underneath her shirt, hiding the little gold band that she couldn't seem to rid herself of. No one else would even know the significance of it, wouldn't even know what the silver chain was hiding, but Bonnie had been there when she'd first taken that ring off and placed it on the necklace instead.

She hadn't worn it in years, had kept it sealed up in one of her dresser drawers along with a few other things that she couldn't quite bring herself to get rid of, no matter how painful the memory. But then Tyler had asked her to marry him and she'd needed to touch the tiny ring that brought her as much despair as it had happiness at one point.

"You're still wearing that?" Bonnie sighed, bagels completely forgotten as she leaned across the desk, grasping Caroline's hand and giving it a squeeze. "Caroline, he's not worth holding onto."

"I know." She really did, but somewhere deep down she kept holding onto the what-ifs and couldn't quite shake them no matter how hard she tried.

"You can't keep punishing yourself over it all, Caroline," Bonnie continued, giving her hand another squeeze. "Over him. Over…Lizzie." Caroline sucked in a breath at her daughter's name, heart clenching painfully at the reminder that she was a world away. "You need to live too. You've been a great mom to Charlotte. A fantastic daughter. An amazing business woman. A fabulous friend, even if your blind date options definitely need work. But you need a chance for  _you_  to find happiness too."

"I'm happy, Bonnie." For the most part. She had almost everything she needed.

"But could Tyler make you even happier?" Bonnie prodded, and Caroline let go of her hand, sighing deeply at the question. "You don't have to answer that right now but I think it's something you need to seriously think about. Because if he could then you should let that happen. Holding onto ghosts isn't doing you any good and you know it. I've seen the two of you together. I know you like him. He's a little hotheaded sometimes but overall, he's a good guy from old money who has a stable job—which okay, you've got money too but at least you know he's not in this just for your inheritance." Which was something she'd dealt with before once or twice since her dads' business had skyrocketed. "This isn't like those few random ones throughout the years that never made it past the third date, Care. You've been together for nearly a year. Why aren't you letting him meet Charlotte?"

Caroline frowned, not entirely sure how to answer that question, didn't want to delve into the inner workings of her psyche to try and justify her hold up on doing so. She couldn't exactly give Tyler an answer until he did meet her daughter. She knew once that happened though that the likelihood of really moving on would grow exponentially and that caused her stomach to twist into knots.

"She's home in a few weeks, right? Do you want her to meet him?" Bonnie asked and Caroline stared at her bagel for a long moment. "Because if you don't want her to then you need to tell him no." What was the point if the guy was never going to be allowed around her daughter?

"No, I do want them to meet." She really did. She thought Charlotte might like him and Tyler would like her. "I just wasn't sure on  _how_ to make that happen." Or rather, she'd been repeatedly putting it off, waiting for the next opportunity to come around. That needed to stop though. It was time to stop holding onto what-ifs that were never going to happen and actually start taking chances. "I need that to happen before I can give any kind of answer." He would need to understand that.

"That's a start at least. I'm sure if you tell Tyler that he'll understand." And if he didn't then obviously he wasn't worth the time and effort. Bonnie pushed the bagel bag back in front of Caroline. "Now let's eat because I'm starving and have to be out of here in thirty to make it to my class."

"Never a good look when the Professor is the late one." Caroline grinned, pushing aside all of the worry that bubbled inside of her.

For now she'd enjoy some time with Bonnie and later after work and dinner with Stephen she'd mull over Bonnie's words. She did deserve happiness and she was happy with Tyler. Maybe a life with him would be good. Not quite the all-consuming passion of what she'd had but considering how that affair had ended, maybe that was a good thing.

* * *

"It's all in order, Elijah," Klaus told his brother, not even bothering with a goodbye as he ended the call. He knew that he would most likely hear about that in a matter of hours but there was only so much discussion over details that had been gone over a hundred times already that he could tolerate. Especially when doing so with his older brother.

He headed into his office, glancing up from his phone as one of the legal aides stepped up beside him, handing him a folder. "Found our smoking gun," Lexi told him, rubbing her hands together with obvious satisfaction. "People really need to learn that nothing ever disappears on the internet."

Klaus flipped through the images, smirking at the Facebook pages she'd printed that clearly proved the opposition's client had been lying. "Now work on getting into evidence," he told her, passing the folder back to her. "Good job, Alexia. Let the team know that lunch is on me if you can get that done before noon."

She grinned and headed off back to one of the rooms that the others were busily working away in while he continued on down toward where his office was located. "Your mother called," Pearl, his secretary, told him. "She would like you to call her back and your sister decided to drop by." The woman glanced into the office, scowling slightly before looking back at him. "I tried to get her to leave but…"She shrugged, turning back to her computer to keep on typing.

Keeping Rebekah from doing what she wanted was more headache than anyone should have to deal with; if he couldn't manage it how did he expect any of the staff to do so?

"Twenty minute time limit?" Pearl questioned, setting a timer on her phone for that amount.

"You're a lifesaver," Klaus told her before steeling himself to deal with Rebekah.

He was in no mood to see her, already having a good idea of what it was that she wanted to talk about. One being Lizzie's absence for the next eight weeks and the other no doubt how she hoped he'd be hitting up some of mother's soirees this year. It didn't help that Elijah managed to make every function while Klaus hadn't attended one in ages. His excuse for not wanting to leave Lizzie for that many hours wouldn't hold any water this year and he knew he needed to come up with new reasons to satisfy both his sister and mother.

"What is it that you want, Rebekah?" Klaus asked as soon as he entered, finding Rebekah perched one of the chairs and enjoying a cup of tea.

"Is that any way to greet your favorite sister?" she chided, pouting at him and briefly reminding him of happier more carefree days when they were younger and that look would have gotten her whatever she wanted from him.

"You're my only sister," Klaus reminded as he rounded the desk and Rebekah shrugged, waving that comment off.

He spotted the door to the adjoining room, the one that led to Lizzie's play area. It had gone through many transformations over the last ten years—from a nursery to a play room filled with various toys to something a little more mature, books, magazines and the iPad replacing the dolls that had once lined the shelves. She hadn't even been gone a full week and already he missed the sound of her voice, the pattering of her feet on the floor there and at their house. Her laugh, one that was so much like…

"I can't believe you sent her away for  _eight weeks_ , Nik!" Rebekah commented as she followed his gaze to the room. "We were supposed to do Paris this year. All the little boutiques."

"She's the one who wanted to go to the camp," Klaus reminded, remembering the presentation his daughter had given about all of the pros to doing summer camp and why the one she had picked was the best choice out of all of them. Even if it was over a continent away. "Besides, she's not a fan of shopping for hours like you are."

"Lizzie just needs to build up her endurance is all," Rebekah told him, and Klaus didn't bother to answer that, turning his focus to his email instead. He knew that wouldn't dissuade his sister though, not when she was there to try and get something out of him. "Though I do suppose that at least with her gone you'll be able to partake in the social scene this summer. Perhaps meet someone. I know mother would love that."

And there it was. "I meet plenty of women."

"I don't mean your endless parade of floozies that you sleep with once, maybe twice, and then discard like yesterday's business," Rebekah scoffed, and he didn't even need to look up to know that she was rolling her eyes at him. "You can't keep living like that. You never let them meet Lizzie."

"Why would I let them meet her when I only plan for them to be around for a night or two?" Klaus asked. It wasn't as though he brought the women home. He had no intention of Lizzie stumbling upon a naked woman when she woke in the morning.

"How will you ever know if any of them are wife material if you don't let them meet her?" Rebekah replied, and Klaus looked up at that, wondering what in the world she was going on about. "Doesn't Lizzie deserve a mother, Nik? You've done well with her but she needs a woman's touch. She needs a mum."

His insides froze at her words, fists clenching at the very idea of going out there to look for someone to be Lizzie's mother. She had a mother. She didn't need another one. "I think I know what's best for my daughter, Rebekah."

She sighed, clearly exasperated with him. "You're still hung up on her, aren't you? She  _left you_ , Nik. She abandoned this family and Lizzie and you need to get that through your thick skull and move on."

Klaus' eyes narrowed at her words. He'd believed that as well once, clung tightly to hating Caroline for breaking up his family, but the memory of her sobbing against Stephen as the cab drove away had him wondering what had really happened, what had caused her to need to leave London, that caused her to need to  _leave_   _him_. He still hadn't figured that out. He could sniff out lies a mile away when questioning people on the stand, get them to squirm just enough before they spilled their guts and laid it all out on the line, but Caroline…it was a still as much a mystery to him that day as it had been nearly ten years ago.

"Time for you to leave, Rebekah," Klaus told her, unable to help the venom in his voice. She shook her head at him and he hated the pity that he saw there.

"She was never good enough for you anyway," Rebekah muttered before picking up her purse and strolling toward the door. It took all of Klaus' restraint not to throw something at her. "Mother expects you at dinner this week. Or she'll be the one showing up here next."

Klaus watched her leave, glaring as the door closed behind her. He waited fifteen minutes to be certain that she was gone or at least up visiting Elijah in his office before heading out to leave, letting Pearl know that he'd be back in a few hours. He headed straight home and up into the attic that he'd turned into a studio. He needed to get out his anger, needed to focus it into something so that he didn't blow up like he was prone to do.

Having Lizzie had meant working to channel all of his frustration and rage into something so that she didn't bear the brunt of his bad moods. Painting was something he'd done when he was younger and practically abandoned when he'd entered college. He'd gone back to it after Caroline had left.

Klaus draped his suit jacket across the back of a chair and rolled up his sleeves as he placed a new canvas on the easel. He already knew what it would turn out to be. He'd painted the same image for the last ten years, trying to decipher their meaning, to figure out the cause of the sadness he'd been unable to detect in Caroline's eyes. Two blue eyes would stare back at him in the end, never quite able to give him what he needed, but at least the rage would have vanished by the time he finished.

 


	3. Chapter 3

" _That's the thing about 'what ifs'; they don't matter. They don't change anything. All they do is make it unable for you to heal._ "- Lindy Zart

* * *

**June 2004**

Of course Kol would pop up and ruin any chance Klaus had of trying to smooth over the situation he'd created. His brother always tended to show up at the worst times, though at least this time he hadn't been situating himself in the middle of a conversation and doling out details of his past that never needed to see the light of day again. But Caroline was gone and Klaus felt a coldness about him that he'd never truly experienced before, like her departure had sucked out all the warmth around him.

Which was  _absurd._  Someone he barely knew, that he had only just met, couldn't have the ability to do that.

It had been easy enough to pass Kol off onto an unsuspecting crew member and Klaus almost felt sorry for the poor girl as he headed off, leaving her to be charmed by his younger brother. He checked everywhere that he could think Caroline might go. It was her first cruise and Klaus knew that she wanted to explore every inch of the ship so he'd tried out all of the usual spots that first timers sought out.

Every so often he would catch a whiff of her perfume, but it was always a fading scent, something taunting him about the lack of her presence, no doubt a sign that he'd just missed locating her.

He'd nearly given up and was down on the central deck, wondering if there was a way to get one of the crewmembers to offer up what room she was residing in. Klaus had a feeling that wouldn't go well for him, no matter how much money he could throw their way. It would probably get him kicked off the cruise and while it'd be amusing to see Elijah's face when he learned of that, Klaus was more interested in remaining on board and finding her.

Luck seemed to be on his side though when he spotted Caroline sitting down in the travel booking area, flipping through one of the pamphlets about the excursions offered during their trip.

Klaus knew that his previous approach wasn't going to work with her. His comments about the ship, trying to showcase his knowledge, to impress her like he did with every other woman he'd run across, had obviously fallen flat and that simply wouldn't do.

Though he wasn't quite sure  _why_  it mattered to him what she thought about him, why it mattered that he take one more chance to get to know her. It wasn't as though there weren't plenty of women on board that he could turn his charms toward and not have them scoffing during their first interaction. Maybe it was the fact that she had done that. He did love challenges and conquering them to prove that he wasn't a weakling.

That didn't explain the coldness he'd felt when she'd disappeared out of sight before though.

Perhaps it was best if he chalked that up to traveling with Kol. His brother usually managed to upset his equilibrium in a matter of minutes and he had endured an entire plane and car ride with the boy.

Klaus headed over to Caroline, mentally trying to figure out what course of action to use on her now as he sat down in the chair beside her. He couldn't help but grin at the intensity she held while reading through the brochure, not noticing anything that was really happening around her.

"I'd have thought you would have already booked these excursions by now," Klaus commented, fairly certain in his assessment of the young woman. It was obvious that she was a planner from her earlier jotting down in her notebook to the fact she actually had the ship's newspaper in her lap with areas highlighted.

" _Seriously_?!" she looked over at him, sighing as she set down the brochure for a moment. It seemed that the last hour or so hadn't quite lessened her annoyance with him. "If you  _must_  know, I'm altering what I already booked. Why are you here anyway? I thought you found the excursions to be a bore."

Klaus couldn't help but laugh at the horrible British accent she tried to use with that sentence. "I said that they  _could be_  depending on who is leading them."

She rolled her eyes; something he was beginning to notice was a trademark of hers, before picking up the pamphlet again. "If it lets me see what I want to see I'll take my chances on it being boring. Something tells me we've got different ideas on what boring equals anyway."

"And what do you think I might find boring, Caroline?" Klaus enjoyed the way her name rolled off his tongue, all three syllables of it moving about like a gentle caress that he'd like to be moving up her bare arm.

"Anything that doesn't live up to your apparently high standards, Klaus?" She lowered the pamphlet again. "I don't get the whole coming up to talk to me again when you obviously didn't even tell me your real name. Like what? You thought your accent and expensive tastes would just have me dropping my panties for you? I dunno if that's what happens on cruises but that's so not happening here. So feel free to move along to the next girl any time now." She looked around the floor and motioned toward an older woman who was complaining to one of the crewmen about the loudness of the woman playing on the harp in the lobby. "I think the two of you would hit it off really well."

"I told you my name," Klaus wasn't sure what she was referring to and frowned, trying to understand, especially when she was turning her attention back toward the pamphlet and turning away from him, a sure sign that she was ending the conversation.

"Whatever you say,  _Nik_."

Ah.

"Nik is what my younger siblings call me. Niklaus would be what my parents named me. Considering I abhor others calling me that and it feels weird to have anyone outside of my younger siblings calling me Nik, I chose Klaus as the name I'd go by," he explained, and watched as she took in his words, her lips forming a delightful little O.

"Still doesn't make up for you seriously crushing my first cruise high," Caroline muttered and Klaus nodded, knowing that his earlier attitude had definitely not set the best first impression.

He would need to rectify that. "How can I acquit myself?"

She looked over at him, brow arched. "People do not actually say that."

"I am a person and I just did love, so I think you'll find that people do in fact say that," Klaus replied, watching as she tried to force down a smile. "Seeing as it's your first cruise, I'm guessing you've never been on the captain's deck?" He watched her quirk her lips for a moment before she shook her head. "Would you like to accompany me there then? Once you're finished reworking your bookings."

"I don't think you can just head to the captain's deck whenever you want. There are times set aside and a wait list," Caroline told him and Klaus opened his mouth before promptly shutting it. "What?"

His answer could definitely annoy her but there was little use in not saying it. Especially if it would get her to spend more time with him. "You can if you're staying in the penthouse suite." He could see her hesitancy; practically feel the internal war that was going on inside of her. "Think of it as an apology for ruining your high."

"Or you could just apologize," Caroline pointed out, giving him a pointed look.

"I apologize for ruining your first time cruise high and would like to help you get it back if I may," Klaus informed her, bestowing on her a look that his little sister had dubbed his 'puppy look'. It worked every time to help sway someone to his idea. From the way Caroline twisted her lips and glanced away from him before sighing and looking back at him with less hostility he had a feeling it was working this time as well.

"Fine, but if you ruin it again your chances have shriveled up and no amount of that look will get you another one," she told him before looking back at the pamphlet again, though the atmosphere between the two of them had lightened significantly.

"I'll endeavor not to do so," he smiled, leaning back in the seat as he watched her pick up another packet while waiting for one of the hosts to be ready to help her.

"Mmmm."

"Why are you altering your plans?" Klaus inquired after a moment. "Perhaps I can give some pointers on the excursions that aren't all that appealing."

"I'm just making my party go from two to one. I want to let them know in case there's anyone who wants to join the small group tours that I picked," she told him. "My best friend was supposed to be doing this cruise with me but she kinda had her appendix removed the other day." He made a mental note of the fact the friend was a girl. Hopefully that meant she wasn't currently seeing anyone. Not that it would stop his pursuit but it was good information to know.

"You don't have to do that in person, Caroline. I can have my butler relay that information to them." Klaus tried not to laugh at her incredulous look. "Perks of the penthouse. It also means we can head to see the Captain's deck before the ship departs. You'll want to be on deck when that happens, sweetheart."

She pursed her lips, still looking uncertainly at him as he stood. Klaus smirked as he rose, confident that she wouldn't turn down the once in a lifetime experience. "Take a chance, Caroline."

" _Fine_. But only because I've always wanted to see what it looks like."

That was enough for the moment and Klaus realized that as Caroline stood and motioned for him to lead the way, that the coldness he'd been feeling earlier was gone and replaced by a warmth that he didn't want to ever let go of.

* * *

**Present Day**

It seemed that fate had been nice to the girls during that first week of camp. While they had been able to avoid ever crossing one another's paths before it seemed that now wherever they turned the other one was there; in the cafeteria, at the lake, during camp sing-alongs. It was like they couldn't quite escape one another and that combined with the constant chatter about how they looked  _so similar_  had both girls on the edge.

Maybe if they didn't have similar interests it would have been workable and the fact they both seemed to have a competitive streak that reached at least a mile long wasn't doing either of them any favors. The need to constantly one up the other, to show that they were better than this stranger with the same face seemed to hold steadfastly to each of them.

"Why don't we just go do the pottery class now?" April suggested as the three of them spotted Lizzie picking up a tennis racket. "I heard that we're going to get to make necklaces today."

"But there's hardly anyone at the courts now," Charlotte pointed out, wondering what had her friend changing her mind about tennis. She'd been ecstatic to finally get a chance at it. The older girls usually hogged the courts during the cooler times of day and this was their opportunity to shine.

"We could always play tomorrow," April continued, trying not to glance over to where the British girl was with her group of friends. That only brought Charlotte's attention over to the group as well and she scowled as she spotted Lizzie.

" _Ugh._ " Of course she was there. "No way are we leaving. If we go now we'll probably never get another chance to play."

"We're going to stay on the other side of the courts from her though, okay?" April pleaded and Charlotte nodded.

"Definitely." The less talking she did with the other girl the better her day would go. "Come on; let's get a racket before we're stuck with the crappy ones."

The plan to stay away from Lizzie started off well, just like every other time Charlotte promised her friend it would happen. Unfortunately that only worked for so long. During horseback riding the two had been the only ones who were able to get their horses to jump every single obstacle without their stallions knocking them over. Was it Charlotte's fault that they'd ridden the horses to the point of exhaustion as they tried to get a more perfect score than the last time? Or at gymnastics when they'd taken over the uneven bars as they tried to out maneuver one another for nearly two hours?

So of course when the tennis games were played and people were placed to play against the next top player it eventually came down to Charlotte versus Lizzie. She could hear April groaning from the sidelines while one of Lizzie's friends had her face in her hands as she sighed.

"I'm surprised you even know how to play," Lizzie commented as she bounced a tennis ball off her racket for warm up. "I'd think you would be more into what you all call football here. Even if it has nothing to do with your feet."

"My mom likes me to be well-rounded," Charlotte told her, hitting the ball with her racket and watched as it narrowly missed hitting Lizzie. She offered up her most innocent look as the other girl glared back before the instructor finally strode over to them.

"Alright girls, we're here to have a good, clean, fun game," the woman told them as she motioned for them to step forward and shake hands.

It was odd being so close to Lizzie again, to look at her this close up. The similarities between the two of them really were freaky and Charlotte couldn't shake that feeling like she was looking in the mirror when she did so. She begrudgingly shook the other girl's hand, jumping a little at the contact. Even their hands felt similar. She saw that Lizzie had the same small freak out but ignored the curious look the girl was giving her as she turned around and strode back toward her end of the court.

The game didn't last very long, not with how the two of them were slamming the balls across the court, nearly hitting one another as they managed to earn their points. "Let's keep this civil!" the instructor reminded.

"Yes, please. I would like that when I beat you that there is no questioning on how much better I am than you," Lizzie called out to her and what was Charlotte supposed to do with that kind of taunt? Walk away? Probably. It's what her mother would have told her to do but there was no way Charlotte was letting that go.

" _Excuse you!"_  Charlotte shouted, stomping over toward the net, not at all surprised that Lizzie did the same.

The next few seconds all happened in a whirlwind and Charlotte would never be able to explain how her racket went flying with the ball or how Lizzie's did as well. The fact that both hit the instructor at the same time was definitely not doing them any favors.

A hushed silence fell over the court as they all stared at the woman who was groaning before she pushed herself up and stared at the two of them with a heated look. " _That's it_. You and you, with me. We're going to talk to the Head Counselor."

A chorus of  _ooooooh's_ broke out among the others as she pointed for the two of them to exit the court. "This is all of your fault," Lizzie muttered, glaring at Charlotte who simply rolled her eyes and stomped off after their instructor. She really should have just listened to April and done pottery instead that day.

* * *

"Hey, babe," Tyler greeted, leaning down to kiss her cheek before he moved to sit down beside Caroline.

She had finally agreed to lunch, letting him know she would have an answer then. From his upbeat demeanor Caroline had a feeling that he was expecting a yes. Maybe eventually it would turn into that but she knew she couldn't give that answer until he met Charlotte and that was what she needed to tell him.

"Did you order yet? I've got an hour before I have to be back at work," he told her as he waved down a waitress. "What do you think about destination weddings? Maybe on a beach somewhere. We've got amazing ones here but we could do better."

"Tyler," Caroline started, not surprised at all when his attention turned to the waitress to order drinks for the two of them.

"Or cruise ones seem to be pretty popular nowadays," he suggested and Caroline's insides froze at the idea.

"No. Not that." She had done that once already. A whirlwind romance and a whirlwind marriage on a cruise ship and look at how that ended. She had a beautiful daughter and that she could never regret but she also had another daughter somewhere else and that pain never lessened, no matter how many years passed.

"Alright, no cruise ones," Tyler replied, flashing her a grin.

"No wedding at all," she continued, and then cringed at her own words. She hadn't meant it to come out like that. "I can't accept this." She set down the box with the ring he'd insisted she take with her while she was thinking about her answer. He looked shocked at her answer and that didn't surprise her. Tyler Lockwood wasn't used to things not going his way. "You haven't met Charlotte yet, Ty. I can't say yes when that hasn't happened yet."

He seemed to relax at her words and nudged the box back toward her. "Okay, so when do I get to do that?"

"She's at camp for a few more weeks." And then it was a matter of Caroline finally allowing a meeting to happen. She wanted it to, she did. Tyler was the longest lasting relationship she'd had in the last ten years. It was just a huge step and she was terrified of making it.

"We'll do dinner when she gets back. Or I don't know. What is it that…ten…" He paused for a second; looking at her as if he was trying to make sure that was the right number. "Do?"

"Depends on the mood she's in. She likes food though. We can just do it at my place." Stephen could cook. He was the only one in their family who was any good at it. "Maybe BBQ."

She didn't miss the crinkle of disgust in Tyler's nose at that but there was no time to comment on it as a familiar voice called out to the two of them. "Tyler! Caroline!"

It was just their luck that his mother would be at the same place as them. Though from the way Tyler was intently looking at Caroline maybe it wasn't such a coincidence. "She's here to talk about wedding planning."

"What?" Caroline nearly dropped the piece of bread she'd been ready to butter. "Why is she…?"

"Because I thought you were saying yes," he snapped and Caroline frowned at that. "We've been together for months. We obviously love one another. Just let me handle her. It's not like you've said no either. It's just a wait until I meet your kid."

"Charlotte," Caroline bit out, annoyed with the way he'd referenced her.

"Charlotte," he repeated with a nod. "I'll get her to leave."

"No, it's okay. You have lunch with your mom. I need to get back to work anyway," she told him as she rose.

"Caroline," he started, rising as well, but she shook her head.

"I'll call you later," she promised, leaning forward to give him a kiss before nodding to Carol as she neared their table.

She slipped away before the other woman could stop her, mind reeling, and thankful that she didn't hear much of their conversation aside from Tyler's excuse for her leaving. Heading back to work wasn't an option, not with how jittery she was feeling. There wasn't anything she had to go over either and Caroline knew that she'd only drive the rest of her employees insane with her overseeing if she went there.

Home wasn't where she wanted to be either. With Charlotte gone the house was colder, emptier and she didn't like being there. It was what her life would be like when her little girl finally grew up and left for college and her own life. That emptiness worried Caroline. She didn't like the quietness of the house, the lack of someone's presence inside of it with her. But that wasn't reason enough to accept marriage proposal.

Shaking her head, she forced anymore thoughts about that out of it, and headed off in the direction of her dads' place. If anyone could help her wrap her head around things it would Stephen. Plus she'd get something to eat.

* * *

**June 2004**

"The Flamenco dance." Klaus arched a brow, looking incredulously at her and Caroline shrugged.

"It just looks like fun. All vibrant colors and it's been around for ages. It's practically its own art form." Could she help it that she loved a variety of dance types? She blamed it on being the captain of her cheerleading squad. Integrating various other dance forms had helped her team spice up their routines and win regionals her junior and senior year. And now she had a chance to see people who'd been learning the dance since they were children, how was she supposed to pass that up?

Klaus shook his head at her enthusiasm, enjoying the way she practically lit up as she talked about the Spanish dance. "We're going to want to finish up soon then if we're going to make the show then, sweetheart."

"A show?" Klaus sighed at that voice, not at all surprised that Kol had finally found him again. He was almost impressed with how long it had taken. Though that probably had more to do with whatever mess Kol had gotten up to over lack of effort.

"Brother, don't take this exotic creature to one of those boring things." Kol leaned forward and clasped hold of Caroline's hand, bringing it up slightly so he could press a kiss to the back of it. Klaus couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the display. "Kol Mikaelson, darling." Kol looked up at her, wriggling his eyebrows as he continued, "the charming brother."

She wrenched her hand back, shaking her head as she laughed and looked over at Klaus. "So basically you're entire family comes off as pompous asses on their first meeting."

"Oh I like this one," Kol commented as he slid onto the empty chair, smiling brightly. "Not trying to butter us up because of our name. Makes getting into a girl's nickers that much easier but it's dreadfully dull."

A swift kick under the table caused Kol to yelp. "How else is anyone supposed to endure one of mother's garden parties except by working toward getting under someone's skirt?" Another kick was Klaus' reply and he tsked at Klaus before turning back to Caroline. Kol propped his elbows up on the table and looked her over. "I bet this enchantress has heard worse. Where in the world did he even find you, darling? Everyone I've spotted on this ship is old enough to be my mother."

"It's Caroline, not darling." Maybe she shouldn't have told him her name. Oh well. Too late now.

" _Care-o-line_ ," Kol practically sang out her name. "You're a little cruise virgin, aren't you?" She wrinkled her brow at the turn of phrase. "Always so easy to pick out. Wanting to see the shows and engage in the historical outings. You'll soon learn it's much more fun to get completely smashed at the pool. Can't beat the free drinks."

"I'll be doing that too." Because how in the world could she say no to free alcohol and tanning? "But it's not  _all_  I want to do. I'm a touch more sophisticated than that."

"I bet you're a bikini girl, aren't you?" Kol asked before yelping again, rubbing his shin as he looked over at Klaus, undeterred. "Tell me you wouldn't want to see more of this one's body. A one piece simply wouldn't do." He moved out of Klaus' range, turning his attention back to Caroline. "When you decide to be done with this bore feel free to look me up. I'm much more adventurous."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she told him, not at all surprised when he winked at her before strolling away and moving onto his next conquest. Caroline looked back at Klaus who was glowering in his brother's direction. She raised the glass to her lips, noting again how different the expensive wine tasted compared to the cheap boxed kind her friends and she would occasionally manage to get back in Mystic Falls. "I'm suddenly very grateful to be an only child."

"Growing up was never boring," Klaus murmured, thankful that Kol was finally gone. His attention diverted back to her and Caroline watched as he reciprocated her smile, noting the softness that seemed to overtake his features as he looked at her. "Still up for that show or do you think it might be a bit too much of a bore now?"

"I have a feeling that pretty much everything that's on my list would be boring if we asked your brother." And she meant to cross out every single item on her list by the end of the cruise. "Though, I do recall you saying that the shows here only have a job because they couldn't hack it elsewhere."

"I did not say hack," Klaus pointed out as their plates were cleared away.

Caroline waved her hand. "I was paraphrasing."

"I think that your presence will make them infinitely more interesting," he told her, and did he  _have_ to say it with that accent and with that damn look that had her stomach twisting in really delightful knots? That couldn't be legal. "You've already shown me that standing around on the deck as we left the port was far more entertaining than I remembered it being."

"I am going to do it  _every time_." Or at least that was her plan. Seeing the humongous boat cast off, feeling the energy of everyone around them had only furthered her excitement for everything. It had been nice to have Klaus there to bounce that off of, even if he hadn't been as enthused as she had been.

"You'll find that it's not as a big of a deal after the first one," Klaus told her before wincing at his own words. "And I'm sure you'll have discovered far too many other activities to occupy your time by then." She could already think of a few that involved the bed in her room and the British man across from her.

From the intensity of his gaze Caroline had a feeling that Klaus was having that same train of thought.

"I am way too smart to be seduced by you." It was a total lie, but it was one she had kept repeating to herself as they'd spent time that day. It'd been easy enough at that initial meeting with how arrogant he'd been but the last few hours had been the most fun she'd had in a long time. But she wasn't that girl who would just fall into bed with someone who called her pretty.

Not after the mess that was Damon Salvatore.

Even if Bonnie's words about a Mr. Right Now were ringing in her head.

There would be no Mr. Right Now on the very first day. She needed to give herself at least three days. Or so she kept telling herself. It was really hard to adhere to with that accent constantly being directed her way.

"Well, maybe that's why I like you," Klaus told her, and she was thankful she wasn't standing because that smirk coupled with that heated look would have caused her knees to buckle.

Caroline rolled her eyes and set down her glass. "Uh huh, let's go, Romeo. I wanna get some cake before we head over to the theater."

* * *

**Present Day**

The opulence of the Mikaelson estate seemed to be on overload as Klaus made his way out to the back of it. The greenery was overtaken by white tents offering shade to the countless people whose names he knew and wanted nothing to do with. It was another charity function, or at least something that passed as such in the circle of the English elite. Every single person attending could brag about being in line for the throne of England, carrying more titles and owning more land than those running around with the serving trays could ever hope to accomplish.

It was a maddening display to watch and if he'd been in business mode maybe he could have tolerated it. There were various business acquaintances throughout the crowd, some clients he'd gotten off of various crimes in those first few years he'd practiced law, but they were being attended to by Elijah. Klaus had no intention of heading anywhere near that group.

He headed to the silent auction that was set up under one tent and scribbled his name under one of the pieces, not really caring which it was before moving along to hand over a check to the one in charge of collecting those. A quick glance to the left and he spotted Rebekah who waved excitedly at him before being tugged off to the dance floor with her current suitor.

Good.

He'd done his part now, shown his face, handed over the required money and wanted nothing more than to leave them all to the ridiculous show.

It was one thing when Lizzie was with him. He was able to divert his attentions to her, letting her drag him around the dance floor before venturing over to eat more sweets than any little girl should. There was no need for a fake smile then, something Klaus didn't like pulling out unless it benefited him in some way. Without her presence though the parties were a constant reminder of why he'd left the family home with her when she was two and rarely came around except for the holidays and these required events.

Her first nursery was still in the far right corner of the manor, tucked in next to his old quarters. Though it had been altered to a room more befitting a ten year old girl for her overnight stays that happened every so often. He couldn't stand the room. How everything had been cut from two to one, all of the baby pictures from those first few months framed in ways to hide that there had been another.

Klaus tore his gaze away from the windows and headed back the way he'd come, intent on slipping out unnoticed. "Niklaus," his mother's voice rang out behind him and he knew there would be no leaving just yet.

He turned around, noting her disapproving look mixed with concern. "Mother." He stepped forward and kissed her cheek, frowning when she linked his arm with hers, a sure sign that she wasn't letting him go anywhere.

Esther Mikaelson was a formidable woman, beautiful as well, but it was the strength she seemed to carry, the influence she could hold that people always remembered her by, her children included. "You only just arrived," she chided him as the two of them stood, looking out at everyone else who was enjoying themselves.

"I donated. I saw Rebekah and Elijah." What more could possibly be needed.

"Did you speak to them?" she asked and he didn't respond to that. What was the point? He saw his brother every day at the office and Rebekah was the reason he was there in the first place. "We have barely seen you all summer and with Lizzie gone for the duration of it I would think that would mean you would be around more often."

"Summer has only begun." His daughter hadn't even been gone two weeks yet. "I've been busy with work." Not a lie either.

"Elijah is busy as well and he still makes time to come and see me once a week," Esther pointed out, nodding over to where the son in question was talking up a client.

"That would be because Elijah has no life. Aside from work all he has is visiting you," Klaus remarked, wanting the conversation to end. He also realized that as soon as he'd opened his mouth that he'd left the door open for his mother's favorite conversation.

"And what about you? I don't hear about any woman in your life occupying your time," Esther replied, and Klaus glanced over at her. "I do not want to hear that excuse about how Lizzie is the woman in your life."

Klaus pulled away from her then. "I fail to see how my devotion to my daughter and her happiness is an issue, mother."

"What about your happiness, Niklaus?" The softness to her voice almost belied her intentions but he watched as she glanced to the side. A quick following of her gaze and he spotted a young woman sitting off to the side who smiled brightly at the two of them.

"Mother." He now knew what this was, the reason she'd desperately wanted him to attend this gathering.

"Her name is—"

"I do not care what her name is," Klaus snapped, and Esther narrowed her eyes. Everyone said he got his temper from Mikael but Klaus had a feeling it was actually from the woman in front of him.

"Why do you constantly do this? She is from a good family. Went to all the right schools, is in all of the correct circles," Esther continued, and he shook his head at that. "You're not a young man any longer, Niklaus. There are expectations, requirements, and one of them is having a family."

"I have a family."

"You have a daughter." Esther sighed. "What about a wife, a mother for that child of yours, siblings for that little girl."

"She has a mother." He'd had a wife. He had another daughter, Lizzie had a sister. "I already listened to Rebekah's ridiculous prattling about this and I should have known that she got it from you. Stop trying to set me up, mother."

"Mikael may not have been your birth father but I swear you got your stubbornness from him," she replied and he narrowed his eyes at that, unable to believe she'd brought up that man's name. "Just meet her. You might even like her if you give her a chance."

"I'll give her as much of a chance as you gave Caroline when you first met her," he replied, pleased that she flinched at that.

Klaus walked away, ignoring her calls after him. He knew it would only cause more conversations between the two of them later on but he couldn't stand continuing it then and there. He was nearly in the clear when Kol popped into his path.

"What has you running out of here like a 'bat out of hell'," his younger brother asked, entirely too cheerful for the mood Klaus was in.

"Mother being her usual self," Klaus bit out, continuing on, wanting nothing more than to get to his car.

Kol's demeanor seemed to shift at that, a scowl replacing his smirk. "Matchmaking again?" He glanced back toward where the party was still happening. "Maybe if she'd actually given…" He shook his head, stopping whatever he was about to say before hurrying up to keep up with Klaus.

"Come on, you look like you could use a drink and I know just the place to go," Kol told him, and Klaus nearly said no, nearly headed home to drown himself in painting all over again. But it had been a few weeks since he'd seen Kol and with Lizzie at camp he didn't have to worry about her finding him hung-over in the morning.

"I'll even let you buy," Kol added with a cheeky little grin, jumping out of the way as Klaus moved to smack him.

Getting drunk with his little brother seemed far preferable to wallowing in his mother's words for the evening.

* * *

"My father is going to hear about this!" Lizzie told the woman as her suitcases were dropped onto the new bed. She crossed her arms, glaring as the Head Counselor entered along with Charlotte.

She didn't understand these Americans at all.  _How_  could forcing her to share a cabin with the girl who was causing all of the trouble be a good idea? Weren't the adults supposed to be the smart ones? Didn't they see that putting the two of them together would simply cause more problems?

"You've simply been made to change rooms. You'll still be attending all meals and all activities, only it will be under my supervision and it will be with one another until you learn how to respect one another," Ms. Pierce told the two of them, her tone allowing for no discussion. "I will not allow the two of you to destroy all of the hard work we've put into this place because you can't be civil to one another."

The last of the luggage was dropped off and the woman looked between the two girls. "You're free to call your parents, to let them know of these changes and the reasons why. If they would like they can come and get you so that you can enjoy the rest of your summer at home."

Lizzie sat down on the bed, frowning at the words. Her father would not like to hear that she wasn't able to get along with someone else. He probably would also have a hard time believing that considering how well she usually got along with others. He was in the middle of a big case as well and the last thing she wanted to do was have him fly all the way to come and retrieve her. Then she would need to endure her aunt's shopping trips and her grandmother's lessons on being a proper lady.

Charlotte seemed to deflate at the words as well, though she kept scowling as she looked over at the Head Counselor of the camp. "Unpack and I expect the both of you at the cafeteria for dinner," Ms. Pierce told them before heading out.

"This is all  _your fault_ ," Charlotte told her as she flung open one suitcase.

" _My fault_?" This girl had to have lost her mind.

"It was your racket that hit the lady!"

"So did yours!" Lizzie cried out in frustration before turning her back on the girl. It seemed that the silent treatment was in order. She'd have plenty of time to talk to others during activities. There would be no way they would be keeping every other girl at camp away while the two of them did activities. That was simply impractical. She only had to deal with Charlotte in the cabin and Lizzie meant to spend as little time as she could there.

Of course, fate was a fickle thing, and it started raining almost right after she finished that thought.

Squeals could be heard outside of the cabin as the other campers started running for shelter and Lizzie looked out the window as the rain fell, blotting out any light and only adding to her misery. Maybe shopping and lady lessons would be preferable to this.

 


	4. Chapter 4

_Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without._ _-_ _**James Dobson** _

* * *

**June 2004**

_Three days_.

How was it possible to randomly meet someone three days ago and suddenly want to spend every damn moment with them? Caroline was pretty sure that it had to be something the cruise line was pumping in with the air conditioning at first. It was the only explanation for how she had despised Klaus so much at first, wanted to never lay eyes on him again, to somehow looking forward to spending every moment with him. There were very few that they weren't together, mostly at night when she finally stumbled to sleep in her own bed, and Caroline had a feeling that might be coming to an end soon.

Or at least she  _hoped_  that she wouldn't be sleeping alone soon. Of course they hadn't even kissed yet but a girl could dream.

Was this a delayed reaction to everything that had happened in her life? Was this some way of coping with losing her mother only a few months ago? All of the plans she had so carefully made were being thrown to the wayside and she was simply living, not following the routine that she had typed out before heading off to Europe on her own. And she wasn't going crazy over it.

_That_  was a huge accomplishment. Even when she had  _tried_  to not stick to her regiments back home she had failed miserably, usually getting cranky at not carrying out what she had planned. But there was no crankiness, no annoyance with everyone and anyone that she came across. There was only blissful happiness and beauty as far as the eye could see.

"You seem entirely too serious to be taking in the beauty of this town, Caroline," Klaus murmured in her ear, breaking her train of thought. His arms looped around her waist and she grinned as he pressed a kiss to her tanned shoulder.

"Just wondering how in the world I got here." She pulled away from him and caught his hand, linking their fingers together as they continued on down the preserved medieval village they were walking through.

"By boat and then a lovely scenic car ride," Klaus quipped and she nudged him with her elbow.

"Ass." But he was squeezing her fingers and tugging her along down another pathway toward the trinket shop that he had been telling her about while driving to this destination before she could say much more.

"Do you think you can find something for your friend Bonnie's grandmother in here?" Klaus asked as they entered and finally let go of one another.

From the crystals and various wind chimes that were hanging about, Caroline had a feeling she would find something. "Grams is really into all that new age stuff. She's been trying to get Bonnie into it for years now but Bonnie just rolls her eyes at her for most things. She's only ever interested in the herbology parts of it."

It didn't take long to pick something out and purchase a small gift for the woman who had been a big help to her in the last year. Thankfully Klaus seemed to also have learned his lesson about trying to help pay for things. She had her own money and did not need him buying things for her.

They headed off out onto the street again, fingers entwined as they walked over the cobblestone and Caroline admired the architecture as Klaus told her bits about the history of it. "Have you been here before?" she asked after a while.

"Once with my family when I was younger," he replied and she saw a darkness in his eyes as a memory came back to him. She squeezed his hand, knowing it must have been an unpleasant one. "I found the shop through a bit of research."

"How many of you are there? It's really hard for me to fathom what it's like doing family vacations with a large family. Even when I did things with Bonnie she was an only child and Elena had Jeremy but like I'm guessing it's a bit different than you and your large one." Caroline stopped talking once she realized that she was rambling again.

Klaus was grinning at her though and she couldn't understand how he found her habit of doing that to be enjoyable. Most found it aggravating or funny, but he seemed to think it made her rather adorable. "I have five siblings. Finn, who is off doing his own thing, Elijah, who I've already mentioned to you. Kol, who you know." He sighed at that and she laughed. Kol was definitely interesting. "Rebekah, who is the only girl."

She counted over the number again in her head. "I thought you said that you have five siblings."

"I had another. Henrik." Klaus looked away then, but she could see how his gaze darkened, how his shoulders tensed at mentioning the boy's name. She wondered what had happened, obviously something had. "He died."

Caroline nodded, not wanting to press him about it. She knew how she felt when others did that to her about her mom, she wouldn't make Klaus feel that way too. She also knew how useless it was to say that she was 'sorry'. It didn't really make anyone feel better and so she squeezed Klaus' hand again, thankful that he looked down at her with a small smile. It wasn't anywhere near what his grin had been like before their conversation but it was something.

His free hand moved to her cheek, thumb gently brushing against her skin there, and Caroline swallowed at that, knowing what was most likely to happen next. It wasn't like she hadn't ever been kissed before, not like she hadn't ever initiated her own fair share of them, but she'd had her share of horrible kisses in her life, and she did not know what she was going to do if Klaus turned out to be a terrible kisser.

His lips pressed softly against hers, barely even touching hers at first. Her eyes fluttered shut at the contact, free hand moving to grip his shirt as the kiss deepened. She let go of his hand, moving that arm to curl around the back of his neck as he pulled her closer to him. The gentleness was gone, their lips gliding together almost urgently now before he gently bit down on her bottom lip, causing her to moan.

Caroline looked at him then, her breathing heavy and was amazed by how dark his eyes seemed to have gotten in those moments, the desire she saw in them causing her to swallow hard. She didn't give herself time to ponder over any of her thoughts as she surged forward, needing to kiss him again. Tongue, teeth and lips all seeking and giving attention as she tried to pull him closer, as she felt Klaus's hands tangle in her hair as his tongue brushed against hers.

The sudden clapping had her quickly stepping away from him, trying to catch her breath as she looked to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. If looks could kill Kol Mikaelson would be dead twice over. "Oh please, don't stop on my account," Kol told them before ducking away down an alley.

Klaus turned toward her, the furiousness in his gaze melting to apologetic, and she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Your brother is an ass," Caroline murmured, letting her lips linger against his skin.

Klaus snorted in agreement and she giggled, letting him start to pull her along in the opposite direction. "I know the perfect place to be for when the sun starts to set."

* * *

**Present Day**

Stephen had known that something was wrong with Caroline ever since dinner the other night. The usually vivacious woman had been quiet, barely keeping the conversation going, and he had only ever seen her like this a few other times in her life. Right after her parent's divorce, when her mother had been diagnosed, and when she left England and her marriage behind. She had bounced back quickly enough from the divorce once she realized that she wasn't losing her father. Liz's death had been harder for her and Stephen had thought that Klaus was a good thing, bringing back that smile that he had sorely missed seeing, but her devastation on having her own divorce finalized, on getting onto that plane with only one daughter and leaving the other behind had been something he didn't think had ever truly left her.

She had fought through her own depression for the sake of Charlotte and had built a wonderful life for the two of them but it was easy to see the ache she still felt if one knew where to look for it, the slight bulge of the wedding ring hanging from the chain under the shirt she was wearing being one of them. This lack of conversation didn't quite add up to the other times he had experienced it, but it was a sign that something was troubling her.

"You going to tell me what's going in that head of yours, Peanut, because we both know I failed at developing telepathy, no matter how hard I wished for it," Stephen told her as she set the salad bowl down on the table. He got a glimpse of a smile from her before she sighed again.

"Maybe I just really wanted to spend some time with my favorite step dad," Caroline replied as she finally sat down.

"That trick worked when you were twelve, Care," Stephen arched a brow at her and she picked up the salad bowl, doling out some onto her plate as she tried to stall for time. He was just as stubborn as she was though and would wait her out patiently.

She poked at the lettuce and even managed to spear a tomato before setting her fork down and turning her attention to Stephen. "Tyler asked me to marry him."

"Right." Stephen rose. "I'll get us something stronger than this wine." It wasn't exactly surprising that the guy had done so. The two of them had been seeing one another for a number of months now and Tyler was from a prominent Californian family. Caroline was the owner of a renowned business and heir to the Forbes' fortune. No doubt Tyler and his family thought that it was a perfect match.

"Scotch. I really need scotch." Caroline moved from the table to get them a set of glasses and grabbed a carton of ice cream and spoons before heading back to the table.

Stephen met her there and opened the bottle of scotch, pouring the two of them a glass. "He's a good guy," Caroline started and Stephen nodded at that. From what he'd seen of the Lockwood boy he couldn't dispute that. "He hasn't met Charlotte yet though and that needs to happen before I can ever say yes." Stephen nodded again, knowing better than to try and interrupt when Caroline was getting her thoughts out. "I have fun when I'm with him. I like the functions that we go to together."

"But?" Stephen knew there had to be one.

"There isn't one," Caroline told him and he arched a brow at that. "Like…none that make sense. Aside from meeting Charlotte. And that one I'm holding to that needing to happen before I ever can give an answer."

"What are the others?" Stephen asked, topping off her glass as she turned her attention to the carton of ice cream.

"There's no spark. There's no…" She shrugged, unable to put it into words. "But maybe there's not supposed to be. I went that way once and look what happened? It didn't exactly end in happily ever after."

"Happily ever after takes work, Caroline. You know that. You've seen me and your father work at our marriage over the years," Stephen pointed out and she nodded. "But we have that spark. I know he's who I want to fall asleep with every night and wake up next to every morning."

"Maybe I could eventually get like that with Tyler," Caroline murmured, tapping the spoon against her lips.

"It's hard to think of marrying someone when your heart still longs for another." Stephen knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear but it was the truth.

"That ship sailed long ago, Stephen." Caroline shook her head, but he watched as her fingers brushed at the ring underneath her shirt before she caught herself doing so. "I just haven't  _allowed_ myself to give any guy an actual chance. I keep thinking that it'll end in heartbreak like that one did. Tyler  _wants_  to marry me.  _His family_ accepts me, they want me. It won't…it won't be like the first time."

Stephen simply nodded again. "But it all depends on Charlotte when she gets back. I'll finally let them meet, let the two of them interact. I haven't let anyone…" Caroline sighed before digging back into the carton. "I think she'll like him. I mean…I want her to. I do like Tyler. And it would be good for her to have another stable presence in her life. I know she has all of you and Bonnie. I know she can go to any of you if she needs to but…" She was looking at the carton and not him, a sure sign that she was struggling with her thoughts and how to express them best. "She only had a dad in her life for about two months and I had mom for eighteen years and so it's not quite the same loss that I feel maybe or maybe its worse. But she asks about him, Stephen. I know she's asked all of you too. I want her to have a dad."

"Caroline," he started, reaching over to take her hand and give it a squeeze.

"Is it so bad to want that for her? I know it'll be an adjustment and that's why I don't want to rush in. It's why I've never rushed in on any relationship. But I think I need to finally take this chance. Let them meet and then go from there. If it doesn't work then I call things off with Tyler." Caroline was nodding as she spoke and Stephen had a feeling she was trying to convince herself of that more than anything. He knew Charlotte was a smart girl though. If she didn't like Tyler she would let her mother know.

"There is so much that goes along with becoming a step parent, Caroline," Stephen started. He had been in the same boat that Tyler would be when he had gotten together with Bill. "Tyler is going to need to realize that while you may love him that Charlotte is the number one priority in your life. That can be a lot for someone to handle. It can be a lot for a kid to handle. I'm sure you remember the resentment that you felt at first."

"I thought you were taking dad away," Caroline murmured, and he knew she was remembering that bumpy time in their lives. "This wouldn't have the added stress of a divorce though. And I loved my mom but I won't be throwing myself into work like she did which made the whole process a little harder. Charlotte and I will stick to our routines."

"Except you'll be adding him into your lives. That means routines will change. It means some of what she's known for the last few years will shift in ways she might not like at first. And that's not even getting into parenting styles," Stephen pointed out and he could tell it was starting to overwhelm her.

"Just take this a day at a time, Peanut. Have them meet and see how that works out before you start making any further plans in that head of yours. I know you're doing that. Probably color coding them in there too," Stephen told her, not quite sure how he felt about the situation.

She smiled at him though. Not quite as brightly as he'd seen her smile before but at least it was there again. Maybe becoming Mrs. Caroline Lockwood wouldn't be a bad thing for her. As long as it didn't shatter her like becoming Caroline Mikaelson had done Stephen supposed it would be counted as a win. Though…it was more changing from Mikaelson back to Forbes that seemed to have caused his daughter the most pain..

"Just remember that you do not need to rush into anything," Stephen added and it was Caroline's turn to nod.

"Believe me my rushing into marriage days are over," Caroline assured before pushing the carton of ice cream toward him. "Now eat so I don't feel so bad for skipping dinner and heading straight for dessert."

* * *

_Two days_  of non-stop rain and from the weather reports it looked like it would continue to do so for another week. There were indoor activities to do but most of them were overcrowded or had gotten boring after the second day. Many of the other girls were staying in their cabins and playing board games or truth or dare or  _anything_  that was even vaguely interesting.

Charlotte would have loved to have been back in her old cabin doing just that but she was sequestered to her new one with Lizzie. They could head out for meals and if they wanted to do the indoor activities but they needed to do the activities  _together_  and that was just more of a headache than Charlotte wanted to deal with anymore.

Sitting in their cabin and flipping through magazines while sighing every so often seemed far more preferable. At least they couldn't hear everyone whispering about their similarities. The urge to tackle the next person who she overheard talking about it was strong but the last thing Charlotte wanted to happen was for her to get sent home. Her mom would be  _so_ disappointed and she really couldn't handle that look.

Silence had reigned in their cabin for the last hour aside from the flipping of pages but mail had been dropped off and Lizzie had received something. The girl was currently reading through the letter and Charlotte looked over, unable to stifle her curiosity. "Who's it from?"

"My Uncle Kol," Lizzie replied before scrunching her nose and looking suspiciously over the top of the paper at Charlotte. Her look softened when there wasn't a snappy retort about that. She almost turned back to reading the letter, to continue on with the silence but not talking was driving her  _mad_. She had always been a chatter box and needed to talk. "He was apparently in Italy and  _accidentally_ made his friend fall into one of the fountains."

"Oh?" Charlotte sat up at that, wanting to know more.

"As my father likes to say Uncle Kol has never done anything accidentally in his life. He's simply a trickster." Lizzie grinned and placed the letter back in the envelope. "He always makes me laugh when I'm sad. The others don't like what he does a lot but he's there when you really need him."

"The others?" Charlotte swung her legs over the bed, her attention fully on Lizzie now.

"My grandmother, other uncles, my aunt. Not my father though. He agrees with me." Lizzie tucked the letter under her pillow for safekeeping.

"What about your mom?" Charlotte didn't expect Lizzie's smile to disappear so quickly with that question. "Oh. Is she dead? I'm sorry."

"No. She's not dead. She's just not with us anymore. I don't know where she is." Lizzie stared at her hands, not really wanting to say any more about it.

"I don't know where my dad is. He's not dead either. But he's never been around," Charlotte told her, and stared off at the wall, not quite sure why she was opening up about that. "I've tried asking my mom about it but she gets  _really sad_ so I stopped."

"My father gets that way whenever I ask about my mum," Lizzie replied, and Charlotte nodded, still not looking over at her. "Uncle Kol says it will all make sense in time and I don't ask the others. They never have anything nice to say and daddy yells at them."

"I tried my aunt Bonnie once but she clammed up real quickly and my grandpas weren't any help either." Charlotte shrugged. It was all a big mystery and one day she would figure it out.

"I thought that maybe it was because she didn't love me. That maybe that's why she left," Lizzie continued and Charlotte looked over at her then. She had thought the same thing about her father. "But no, he always says she loves me very much."

"That's what my mom says about my dad too," Charlotte murmured. It was hard to wrap her head around that though. If he loved her so much then why didn't she ever see him or even know his name?

There was a large crack of thunder that caused the both of them to jump a little. Lizzie moved over to the window and peered out of it. "It's really coming down now." The clatter of the drops on the roof increased and Charlotte dropped back down onto the bed.

" _Ugh_." At least she wasn't frightened of storms like she had been when she was little. That would have sucked.

"What's your favorite color?" Lizzie asked after a few minutes of silence. Charlotte looked over at her, arching a brow and wondering if the girl was serious. "If you'd like to go back to flipping through the same magazine for the millionth time be my guest." Lizzie flopped back against her own bed and crossed her arms against her chest.

"Lime green," Charlotte eventually spoke up. "What about you?"

"Turquoise. Much to my grandma and aunt's chagrin. They wish I adored pink." Lizzie rolled her eyes at that and Charlotte laughed.

"My mom doesn't care but she wouldn't let me paint my whole room lime green. Only one wall because she said it's too loud of a color." Charlotte grinned, remembering the long debate they'd had a year ago when it was time to get rid of the ponies that had decorated her walls.

"I was only allowed to paint one wall turquoise too," Lizzie shook her head. "Not because turquoise was too loud but because my father thought an accent wall was enough color considering how much color the furniture in my room brought to it." She figured that had to do with his artistic tendencies. He had been right in his assessment though. If they had added turquoise to every wall it would have drowned out her room.

"Parents are weird," Charlotte murmured and Lizzie nodded in agreement.

"I've got cards. Do you want to play a game?" Lizzie asked after another moment.

Charlotte shot up at that, unable to wipe the sly grin off her face. "Do you know how to play poker?"

"My Uncle Kol taught me," Lizzie dug out the set of cards from her bag on the floor. From the look on Charlotte's face Lizzie had a feeling that she might actually be going up against a worthy opponent. At least the day had finally started to get interesting.

* * *

**November 2008**

Of all the airports in the world that Kol Mikaelson had traveled, Chicago-O'Hare was his least favorite. It was his fault for having a layover at it during the winter months. He swore the place shut down more than any other when the snow hit the ground. Whenever the damn delayed sign flashed by his flight it caused him to rethink his life choices and wonder what exactly had brought him to  _this_  airport when every news station was spouting off predictions of a huge storm passing through.

The redheaded model was definitely  _not_  worth this trouble. By the time he even arrived in New York he would probably be well over her and any desire to get her into his bed again. No doubt Nik would get a laugh out of it all while Bekah and Elijah would shake their heads in disappointment if he even bothered to tell them.

"Bloody damn airport shouldn't be a stop if it never works," he muttered under his breath as he tried to locate a bar to spend the next few hours in.

"Kol?"

He hadn't expected to ever hear that voice again and from the confused, almost startled way his name had been said, Kol had a feeling that Caroline had never expected to see him again. Turning he saw the blonde standing a few feet away, suitcase with those fancy rollers at her side.

"Good to see you, darling," he greeted, unable to help from smiling at the sight of her. He watched as she visibly relaxed, the worry that had been etched in her eyes disappearing as he stepped forward to hug her and kiss her cheeks.

She shoved him back lightly at that, rolling her eyes in a way that instantly reminded him of three-year old Lizzie back in London. "What are you even doing here?"

Kol arched a brow at that, waving his arm around the airport before laughing at her pointed look. He had missed that look. "On my way to New York from Seattle. You?"

"On my way…home." That slight hesitation in her voice had him biting the inside of his cheek, not wanting to cause a scene on how her  _home_  was in London. "How are things?"

"Things?" Kol shifted on the balls of his feet, mulling over that word.

"Him. How is he?" Caroline tried again and Kol pursed his lips together, acting as if he still wasn't quite sure who she was inquiring about. "Klaus, Kol. How is he? And." He couldn't help but take pity on her at how her breath caught on Lizzie's name, at the inkling of tears in her eyes at her daughter's name.

"She's a little hellion, that one," Kol grinned, and pulled his phone out of his coat pocket, scrolling to show off one of Elizabeth in her Halloween costume. "She demanded to be a butterfly."

Caroline took the phone from him and he watched her touch the screen before brushing tears from her face. "Charlotte wanted to be a pirate." She handed him her phone and he looked down at the picture of his other niece, the one he hadn't been able to hold in entirely too long.

"Is he good though? Is he happy?" Caroline asked as Kol handed back the phone.

No, his brother was far from happy, far from whole. The only time he smiled was around his daughter but there was still an emptiness that seemed to surround him at times. He could see it with Caroline as well. "About as happy as you are," Kol replied, watching as she looked away at that.

An announcement for a departing plane came over the speakers and Caroline put her phone away. "That's me."

"Caroline. I'm sorry that…" Kol trailed off, not quite sure how to word it all; he just needed her to know that he wished things had turned out differently.

"I know." And then she was gone in the crowd.

Kol sighed, watching the space where she had been for a long moment before turning around and heading for the bar. He really needed that drink.

* * *

**Present Day**

Having Kol stay with him was always a double edged sword. On one hand, it annoyed their mother to no end, especially when Kol did everything in his power to not show up at the family estate during his visit. On the other though, it meant that Klaus had to endure Kol for however long he was in town. It usually never surpassed a week at a time. His youngest surviving brother had no patience for staying put in one place for too long. How any of them had thought that trying to get him to follow in the family path would end well was beyond Klaus.

Kol might have successfully completed his undergraduate degree but he had refused to play along after doing that much. Thankfully, Kol had been lucky in investing his inheritance from the trust into a friend's start up internet company that was still flourishing to that day. Klaus never understood what exactly it did but as long as it kept his brother out of financial trouble he didn't particularly care to find out. Kol got into enough other trouble as it was.

Usually Lizzie acted as a perfect buffer between the two of them because by day two of Kol's constant presence Klaus was ready to strangle him. But Lizzie adored her Uncle and while Kol could be wild, he was always conscious of his niece's safety. Though bedtime was never a routine that was adhered to when he was in town but a few late nights seemed like a decent sacrifice for how large his daughter's smile could get while playing board games with her Uncle Kol.

_Unfortunately_  Lizzie was not there to act as a buffer this time.

It definitely didn't help to arrive home after a particularly grueling day of work to find Kol on the couch with Klaus' latest painting of Caroline's eyes on the coffee table in front of him. No one was allowed in the attic where he painted. Even Lizzie knew better than to step foot into that domain, always knocking if she needed something.

Kol was never one for rules, never one for sticking to anyone's boundaries and usually Klaus could let it slide, but seeing that piece of his soul displayed so carelessly on the table was something he couldn't contain his anger from.

"What the hell are you doing?" Klaus demanded, briefcase already discarded in a chair as he entered the room and quickly snapped up the painting.

"I think you didn't quite capture the color of her eyes, Nik," Kol waved at the painting, the jab only furthering his brother's rage.

"You have no right to go up there, Kol," Klaus bit out, spotting the empty bottle of scotch that lay haphazardly on the floor. It had been halfway full when he'd left his brother in the morning. "No matter how wasted you've gotten yourself."

Klaus turned to head up the stairs and place the painting back in its spot. Maybe he needed to start locking the door again. He stopped when Lizzie was old enough to walk up and down the stairs, afraid she might end up hurting herself somehow because of the locked door. If it was locked then the temptation to go inside would grow or at least that's what he told himself.

"I saw her once," Kol started and Klaus stopped dead in his tracks, hopeful that Kol was spouting nonsense. "Caroline. I saw her."

He needed to keep moving, to ignore whatever confessions were coming from his drunken brother. "She looked about as happy as you ever do when Lizzie isn't with you."

Klaus' hands tightened around the painting, willing his feet to keep moving. The thought of Caroline unhappy shouldn't stir a longing in him, a need to fulfill that happiness that had eluded him ever since she'd left.

"Why didn't you ever try to find her? To find them?" Kol continued and the canvas ripped a little under Klaus' grip. "I doubt it would have been hard."

"She wouldn't have left if she wanted me to find them, Kol." She would have stayed and talked things through with him. They could have made it work somehow, he was certain of it.

"You're an idiot, Nik. All she wanted was you to do that," Kol muttered, and Klaus turned back at that, but Kol was already snoring. It would be useless to try and figure out what his brother had meant by that and what was the point? Ten years had passed since he had seen Caroline; no doubt she was happy now. With the love for life that she had Klaus couldn't comprehend her not moving on and living again.

Klaus placed the painting down and took one of the extra blankets out of the linen closet. He threw it haphazardly over his brother before picking up the empty bottle and disposing of it. Then he headed up to the attic and placed the painting back in its spot. Her eyes were perfect, regardless of what Kol had said, though they lacked that spark of life that Caroline's always seemed to have.

He pulled out the crinkled photograph of the two of them with the girls from his jacket pocket, something he always carried around with him, and stared down at it, taking in the look in Caroline's eyes. Just like her smile, her eyes weren't as bright as when he'd first met her.

Klaus folded the photograph up again and headed back downstairs to his room, tucking it into the drawer of his bedside table for safe keeping. He could hear Kol's snores as he headed over to Lizzie's room and glanced inside, missing her presence. Klaus knew camp would be good for her but that didn't stop him from wishing she was spending the summer with him. Even if it was better for her to be away with how much time he needed to put into work because of his latest client.

His cell rang in his pocket and Klaus sighed before pulling it out. It was his mother calling and he glared at the screen before hitting the button to silence the ringing. He was in no mood to deal with whatever she wanted. Perhaps Kol had the right idea in drinking the night away.

* * *

This couldn't really be happening.

Things like this only happened in the movies or on television but not in real life. People didn't go away to summer camp and then find their long lost twin sister. This wasn't Disney.

But it was happening and Charlotte couldn't help but stare at the picture of her mother that Lizzie held just like the other girl was staring at the picture that she held in her hands. "We're sisters," Lizzie breathed out, and Charlotte felt as amazed as the other girl sounded.

" _Twins_." Identical ones which explained  _so much_  even if the both of them had been steadfastly denying their similar features.

They placed the pieces of the photograph down on the ground and slid them together. Charlotte wasn't sure if she clasped Lizzie's hand first or if the other girl had done it, but they sat on the floor with their hands tightly holding onto one another as they stared down at the picture that was now whole.

They sat like that for a long time, neither saying a word as they tried to comprehend everything they had just discovered. "Is mother happy?" Lizzie asked after a moment, and Charlotte looked over at her and nodded.

"Usually. She gets these really sad looks sometimes though." Charlotte had a feeling that she was thinking about Lizzie during those moments and maybe their dad. "What about dad?"

"The same really. Grandmother wants to set him up with someone. Her and my Aunt Bekah tries to constantly but he never has time for any girls aside from me," Lizzie told her as she looked back at the photograph.

"My…our mom is seeing some guy but it's not serious. She's never introduced him to me. That's when I'll know it's serious. Aunt Bonnie says it's because she won't let go of the past," Charlotte shook her head, practically hearing her aunt's voice in her head as she said that.

"That's what Uncle Kol says about daddy," Lizzie replied and it was weird to see the same determined look that Charlotte usually saw in the mirror when she looked at the girl. "He also told me once that daddy misses our mother."

"That's what Grandpa Stephen told me once too" Charlotte nodded, remembering the one thing she had dreamed about since she was little. From the way Lizzie was nodding along too, she had a feeling that Lizzie was having the same idea. "Have you always wanted to meet her? Mom?"

"For as long as I can remember," Lizzie murmured. "And you've always wanted to meet our father?"

Charlotte nodded. More than anything she wanted that to happen. "We could call them up and tell them we've met," Lizzie suggested, but Charlotte shook her head.

"They could just separate us again and we'd miss out on our chance," Charlotte pointed out and Lizzie sighed. That was a definite possibility.

"There's four more weeks of camp," Lizzie started. "I think in that amount of time you could teach me everything I need to know to be you and you could teach me what I need to know to be you."

"And what? We'll just switch at the end of camp?" Charlotte asked, wrapping her head around the idea. "You're brilliant!"

"I know," Lizzie replied with a grin. "Then you'll get to me father and I can meet mother."

"And even better, they'll have to meet again to switch us back," Charlotte pointed out and Lizzie's grin broadened.

"And if our uncle and grandfather are right then maybe they won't be sad any longer," Lizzie replied and Charlotte grinned at her.

It was an amazing idea. How could it possibly go wrong?

 


	5. Chapter 5

_The most painful goodbyes are the ones which are never explained.—_ **Unknown**

* * *

**June 2004**

The sunset had been  _perfect._  A mixture of colors that Caroline didn't think she would ever be able to describe in words, but it was Klaus' arm around her waist, his chin against her shoulder as she leaned against the railing of the old church that would forever be imprinted in her mind. She'd felt  _whole_ , something she hadn't even realized was an actual feeling before that moment, and the last thing she wanted to do was let that feeling go.

Her mother and father never spoke of that kind of completeness. Though she thought she might have glimpsed it once or twice when seeing her father and Stephen together. But to actually experience it was extraordinary and from the way Klaus was looking at her when they finally needed to pull away and head back to the ship had Caroline thinking that he might have felt that same sensation too.

"Have dinner with me," he told her, no hint of question in his voice with his gaze locked with hers.

"We've had dinner together for the last three days," she started and she could see the tension in his shoulders at that, the steeling for rejection. She grinned though, setting him at ease as she squeezed his hand. "Why would I want to stop now? What are you in the mood for?"

"Room service." His voice shouldn't be allowed to drop down to that octave, shouldn't be allowed to sound that husky. Nor should his fingers brushing her hair off her neck cause her to bite her lip as she lowered her lashes. That little touch shouldn't set her nerve endings on fire.

"My room or yours?" His was definitely larger but she wasn't sharing with anyone.

"I'll let Kol know to make himself scarce," Klaus told her as he linked their fingers together and tugged her toward the crowd that was heading back onto the ship.

They made their way to the elevator and if it wasn't as packed as it was with everyone trying to head to various floors, Caroline might have pressed him up against the wall of it. Instead she settled for leaning against him in the tightly packed space, her fingers threading through the chain of the necklace that he wore. The hand of the arm he had wrapped around her rested on her hip, stroking the bit of skin there.

The elevator doors opened for his floor and they headed out hand-in-hand still as he led her down the hallway toward his room. Anticipation built with every step, that sensation of butterflies in her stomach coming on strong as he slid the keycard into the door before pushing it open. "What would you like for dinner? They can make practically anything."

_Oh_.

So they were actually going to have room service? Her disappointment must have been apparent because Klaus grinned before pulling her closer. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he started, and there was that husky tone again, the one that could make her shiver with anticipation without him even touching her. But his arm was around her, fingers splayed out against her hip, and his face was so close that his nose was brushing against hers as he spoke. "I've every intention of making sure you're thoroughly satisfied numerous times before the sun rises, but I think it'd be best for us to eat something of sustenance after the amount of walking we did today before working off even more calories."

Caroline didn't think she'd ever been so thoroughly seduced with just words before. Then again, it wasn't like any of her previous partners had been much for foreplay. Her teenage boyfriends had all lived up to the usual stereotypes of being all about their needs and she had a feeling that wouldn't be so with Klaus.

It had her anticipating everything even more but he was right. They did need to eat.

"I want seafood of some kind then. Surprise me." He was usually really good with picking out new foods for her to try when she told him what she was in the mood for. Caroline pulled away from him, wanting to look around the suite a little while he called down their order.

It was definitely a larger room than hers was. She knew that it was supposed to be the largest on the whole ship and considering it had its own separate dining and living area from the bedroom that really didn't surprise her. She'd thought her own room was pretty big but it paled in comparison to this. She headed over to the living area, taking it all in from the freshly cut flowers to the door that led to the personal deck area—also far bigger than hers was.

She felt Klaus behind her seconds before he slid his hands up her arms. "Dinner will be here in about an hour," he murmured and she grinned as she turned around to face him.

"However will we pass the time?" She rested her hands against his chest while quirking her brow. He arched a brow back as his hands slid down to her waist. She wasn't sure if she surged forward or if he did, but their lips were pressing eagerly against one another, his tongue delving into her mouth and urging hers on. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, hands settling on the nape of his neck as he walked them backwards away from the doorway and over to the couch.

It wasn't particularly long but it fit the two of them perfectly as the back of his knees hit it and he fell back, tugging her down onto him. She straddled him as best she could as she was pulled onto him, refusing to release her hold on him, needing to keep kissing him. They broke slightly apart and she gasped for air as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek and up to her ear.

Caroline couldn't help but hum as he gently nipped her earlobe before he was maneuvering the two of them so that she was lying on her back. She couldn't complain, not when he was scraping his teeth down her neck, not when it gave her better access to his body as well. She closed her eyes as he bit down on skin between her throat and collarbone before lathing his tongue over it to soothe the small bit of pain away.

Her hands had been clutching at his shirt, fists balling into the material, as his body molded perfectly into hers. But she forced them to move, wanting to feel his skin, to leave her own marks on him. She worked at the buttons of his shirt, silently cursing every single one of them as his mouth found hers again, tongue demanding attention.

She gasped into his mouth as his hand that had been sliding along her stomach traveled upward, brushing the undersides of her breasts through the thin material of her dress. She could feel him smirking against her lips and she refused to be deterred from her own silent mission, finally getting the last button undone.

Caroline pushed the offending material out of the way and slid her hands up his chest, smirking when he hissed in pleasure as she dragged her nails against his nipples. The chain of his necklaced bumped against her hand and she threaded it through her fingers, using it to pull him down closer as they continued to kiss. Her fingers brushed against something at the bottom of it, a charm she hadn't seen before because Klaus always wore it tucked in as best he could.

She cursed her curiosity, mentally berating herself for not waiting to see what it was later on as she pushed him back a little, tugging the charm into view. "It's a wolf?" she asked, and looked up at him when she felt him tense beneath her hands.

She really needed to learn when to keep her mouth shut.

"I'm—" she started, ready to apologize but Klaus shook his head before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. The heat behind it was gone, but this one lingered, felt infinitely more intimate than their previous ones.

It'd be easy enough to spin the usual lie that he had told countless women before. That it's a symbol for the nickname lawyers who fear him bestowed upon him. But he doesn't want to lie to Caroline.

"It was the last thing Henrik ever gave me," Klaus told her as he rested his forehead against hers and Caroline brushed her fingers against his cheek, knowing it had to take a lot to say that.

He turned his head into her hand, pressing his lips to the palm of it. "The last thing my mom gave me was a teddy bear. They're apparently really big with the whole 'we're sorry you're in the hospital' gift choices and she used to get me one for my birthday every year when I was little. She stopped because I was brat in middle school and told her they were for babies." Caroline had never admitted to her mom that she had missed that little tradition between the two of them, but she thought her mom might have known and that was why she'd given her the bear when all the rest of the balloons and flowers had been donated. "But I was always her baby. No amount of growing up ever changed that."

Tears glistened in her eyes and she shrugged, trying to play it off that she was fine, but the littlest thing could still set off a sad spell for her when it came to her mother. Six months and she was still grieving.

"Cancer didn't really care about any of that though," she continued, wishing she'd stop talking, but the words just kept spilling out.

Klaus brushed the tears off her cheeks and shifted the two of them, pulling her into a hug as he sat up. A sad Caroline Forbes tugged at his heart like nothing else ever had. He wanted to dry up all of her tears and ensure that the rest of her days were full of nothing but laughter and happiness. But Klaus wasn't a fool. He knew that was the stuff of dreams and heartache lay around every corner, just waiting to be unleashed.

He also knew how powerful a hug could be. His family was never keen on them, his parents rarely ever doled them out and while he'd given his fair share to his younger siblings through the years, it had always been Henrik's small but powerful embrace that had been the quickest way to lighten his mood, to remind him that he was loved.

Klaus pressed his lips to her forehead as she worked at controlling her tears, gently stroking her hair as she calmed down in his arms. "How long ago?" Her pain was still entirely too raw for it to have been more than a year.

"December," she murmured as she tucked her hands under her chin, letting his presence soothe her. "That's why I got this cruise as a present. My dad was stuck in Chicago because of a snowstorm when she died in the hospital. Stephen, my stepdad, and I were there though. He's always felt guilty about that. This was his grand graduation/make up gift."

"Why was he in Chicago?" he asked, keeping her talking.

"Work. It was a layover actually. He was coming back from Seattle." Layovers at Chicago O'Hare were always a toss-up in the winter months and Caroline knew that her dad knew that. Not that he'd known her mother would die that day but she'd held onto her anger for so long because of that damn flight.

She slid one hand down to wrap in Klaus' shirt as he continued to brush her hair, his lips never leaving her head. She felt  _safe_ …she felt  _loved._  It was overwhelming but she refused to pull away, taking every last piece of comfort that he offered.

"Henrik was my little shadow ever since he learned to walk. Ten year difference between the two of us but he was the only one of them that I didn't mind tagging along after me," Klaus started and she hugged him a little tighter at his words. His voice was quiet, but the emotions in it were nearly as raw as her own had been. "I went out for a run and didn't realize he had decided to tag along. I bolted across the street before the car came. He didn't quite make it on his scooter."

Caroline shut her eyes at that, imaging the guilt he must have felt when that happened. "He died on the way to the hospital," Klaus finished with a sigh. "Of course Mikael saw it as my fault because I didn't wait for him or force him to stay on the sidewalk until the car had passed."

"But you didn't know he was there," she countered, looking up at him. Everything he had told her about his father had Caroline despising the man.

"That hardly mattered," Klaus replied with a grimace. Sometimes he was certain that his remaining siblings and mother blamed him for Henrik's death as well. Not that they would say it.

She drew the small wolf between her fingers, the metal warming with her touch. "It wasn't your fault but I know that doesn't really make up for him not being around anymore." Her mother's cancer wasn't her fault but that didn't make her miss Liz Forbes any less.

Klaus didn't reply, simply kissed the top of her head. There was a knock at the door followed by 'room service' being called out. Caroline reluctantly untangled herself from his arms and let Klaus rise. Maybe her expectations for the night weren't quite going how she'd thought they would but she had a feeling the conversation they had just had was miles more important than making it into his bed.

* * *

**Present Day**

"Wake up." He probably should have been quieter, more sympathetic to the hangover that Kol was no doubt sporting after his bout with the scotch last night, but his brother's words had been volleying back and forth in his head all evening and Klaus was in no mood to wait.

The pillow thrown at his brother's head and the yanking of the blanket from his slowly waking body was probably a bit overkill but Klaus knew how long it could take Kol to wake if he was given time. "Bloody hell, Nik!" the younger man muttered, glaring at him as he shivered and tugged back at the blanket, seeking warmth. He pressed a hand to his head as the world began to spin for him. "Least you could do is have breakfast ready for me."

"Then I'd never get you to leave." Klaus stared down at him, waiting for Kol's senses to really kick start so they could have an actual conversation.

"You say that like you don't relish these visits of ours." Kol grinned at him before Klaus thrust their usual concoction for hangovers into his face. He gagged at the smell of it. No amount of knowing how much it would help could overpower the reminders that flooded over him about how awful the drink tasted. "Can't even give me five minutes to gather my bearings?"

"You're lucky Lizzie isn't here," Klaus told him, pushing the glass into Kol's hands.

"I wouldn't have gotten drunk if she was," Kol pointed out but downed as much of the drink as he could in one go. Letting it sit would only make it taste worse. Best to get it over and done with. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I took the day off." Something he rarely ever did; only if Lizzie was sick or he had planned a vacation with her somewhere for a few days.

"Elijah's not going to like that." Kol tsked and Klaus shrugged. Their older brother didn't like a lot of decisions that Klaus tended to make but he rarely let that alter anything.

"He'll survive." One day wouldn't cause any harm. Not even with their new client that he had been devoting nearly all of his time to working on their case.

"Still don't get why you had to wake me if you're playing hooky," Kol muttered before finishing off the glass. He took the offered bottle of water next, needing to try and rid the taste from his mouth.

"You and I are going to have a little chat. Clear the air some," Klaus told him and Kol simply nodded. Those were  _never_ good words to have coming from his older brother. Usually he was in trouble but he couldn't think of anything he had done lately. Aside from getting drunk and Lizzie wasn't around so that wouldn't warrant a chat.

"What did you mean?" Klaus continued before pausing as he tried to put what he needed to know into words.  _All she wanted was you to do that_. That's what he had said. All Caroline had wanted was for him to go after her. But then why had she left? Why hadn't she said anything? There were so many questions bouncing around in his head. Ones that he had been able to push aside before, needing to focus on the little girl who remained behind and depended on him, but Lizzie wasn't there now. She would be back, he knew that, but he couldn't help but look at his life while she was gone and wonder how it had gone so wrong.

Not the parts with her.  _Never_ those parts. But even with a successful career he still felt incredibly unsatisfied, lost almost, like a piece of him was missing and he hated that. Hated feeling less than whole.

"Gonna need you to elaborate, Nik. Mind reading is still not a skill of mine," Kol told him as he wracked his brain, trying to remember what he might have talked about in his drunken state.

"You saw her." It wasn't a question. Not yet anyway. Just a statement that had Klaus remembering what Kol had said about Caroline when he'd seen her, how she looked about as happy as he did when Lizzie wasn't present. Was that supposed to make him feel good to know that she was miserable as well? A small part of him did, the part that hadn't quite been able to let go of the anger at the loss of her, of Charlotte. But most of him hated that Caroline wasn't happy and then despised the weakness inside of him that still worried about her, cared about her, when she had been the one to walk away from what they had.

Kol rubbed the back of his neck, waiting for Klaus to say something else, not quite sure how his brother was going to handle that knowledge. He had always kept quiet about that airport meeting because he didn't think it would help Klaus any to know that he had seen Caroline. Apparently his drunken brain had thought differently.

"Did you see Charlotte as well?" Klaus demanded as he tried to reel in the anger that wanted desperately to be unleashed. If Kol had gotten that opportunity and not shared it he wasn't sure how he would be able to cope with that knowledge.

"No." Not a complete lie. He'd seen the picture on the phone but that wasn't the same as seeing his other niece in person. "It was just Caroline at the airport."

"And she didn't seem happy?" Klaus continued before finally sitting down on the other sofa. "Because of traveling? That's it, right? Airports always did seem to make her a bit queasy." Though that might have been the pregnancy more than anything. "The waiting. The delays. She had enjoyed people watching though."

Unfortunately whatever Kol's response would have been was interrupted by the front door being unlocked and Elijah walking through the door. "Niklaus," their older brother called out as he entered the foyer.

Klaus rolled his eyes at the name and the frustration he could hear bundled up in that one word. "We're in here," Kol called out, thankful to be saved from continuing the conversation. For now at least. He knew Klaus wouldn't forget what he'd said and would not doubt demand answers again soon. Once his teeth were sunk into something he never did let go until he got all that he needed. It was why he'd gotten his nickname The Wolf.

"You do not have time for drunken nights with Kol, Niklaus," Elijah started as he walked into the room, looking disappointed in the two of them. Mikael might be dead but Elijah had that look of his down pat.

"You'll be happy to know that Nik didn't partake in my nightly routine," Kol replied as he leaned back against the couch, wishing there was more alcohol within his reach. There was some in the cabinet in the other room but that would require walking.

"Then why did you call out today?" Elijah asked, looking over at the older of his brothers. "You don't look sick and I know that you understand how important this current case is. You do not have the time to randomly take off when you should be looking over statutes, preparing witnesses, finding something to get this case thrown out on a technicality. Especially not when Lizzie will be returning in a few days. We cannot afford to have you distracted right now. "

"Can't really afford to have him burn himself out either, Elijah," Kol pointed out, smirking over at Klaus. The comment would no doubt annoy their older brother but it was the truth. Klaus was the family firm's golden boy and they used him more than any of the other competent lawyers in their offices. "It's not like he won't start taking those random days off when Lizzie returns in a week anyway. So you might as well get used to it now."

"That is why I think it would be best if you allowed Rebekah to take her to Paris for the remainder of the summer," Elijah started and Klaus shook his head, tired of the same subject being brought up whenever he saw Elijah.

"I've just spent the last few weeks without her, Elijah. If you think I'll be sending her away for even a day trip once she's back you've lost your mind," Klaus informed him, even if he wasn't surprised that his brother thought it was something he might consider. "I've doled out assignments and have been monitoring progress. The court date isn't until August."

"You're sending your interns and your aides out to gather information. No one handles that quite like you do, Niklaus," Elijah reminded. "They won't get half of what you could if you were to go instead."

"Lexi and the others have already found the 'smoking gun' to throttle the other side with. They're working on how to get it admissible in court or if that won't work how to make sure the jury hears about it during cross examination." What more could his brother ask for?

"And if you were the one doing that I'm sure you would already have a plan laid out," Elijah pointed out, and Klaus sighed. Who was to say he didn't already have plans moving around in his head for it, but the whole point of interns and aides was to train them to becoming assets to the firm.

"If you don't like how I'm handling my team then you're free to take this on," Klaus replied with a shrug. Being a lawyer didn't have the same challenge for him that it used to. The thrill of the win was gone; the need to dig up dirt, to destroy the opposition didn't strike the same passion in him like it had before. It was becoming routine, something he despised settling into.

"Be serious," Elijah started, but stopped at Klaus' wry smile. That meant his brother was entirely serious. The last time he'd been like this was when he'd talked of leaving the firm a few years back. Something they could  _not_ afford to have happen. Pushing Klaus wouldn't help any. His brother was too stubborn for his own good. "You'll be in tomorrow?"

"It seems likely," Klaus replied, enjoying the way Elijah sighed at that. Riling his brother was as enjoyable when he was ten as it was now. He had a feeling he would enjoy doing it when they were both in their seventies.

"Why don't you join us for breakfast, Eli?" Kol suggested before the elder Mikaelson could leave. "Loosen up a bit. Take a break. Could be good for you. We haven't eaten together in ages."

"I have work to do," Elijah replied quickly and Kol nodded, but anyone could see how dejected he looked at that answer. Elijah's features softened for a moment as he looked at Kol. "I'll call you later and maybe we can get together for dinner before you skip town again."

It was better than nothing, even if it probably wouldn't happen. "I'll loosen you up yet," Kol grinned and Elijah shook his head, but at least he was smiling.

"Don't count on it," Klaus quipped as Elijah headed out. He really needed to change the locks again and not give out keys to his family members. His attention was fixed back on Kol as soon as the door closed.

"I'll tell you all about my split second meeting with Caroline at breakfast," Kol told him, knowing there would be no getting out of that. "But I'm going to be of no use to you until I get some eggs and bacon in me. I might forget what it was that she said. Or the color of her dress or whatever minute detail you're going to obsess over."

"I was thinking we could start with what made her so unhappy here," Klaus replied as Kol rose from the couch. He watched his brother freeze at that, not expecting that question. It was one he should have asked ages ago but had tried to figure out on his own.

"Everything," Kol replied before slipping out of the room.

Klaus sunk back against the chair as he heard his brother head up the stairs. That hadn't been the answer he wanted to hear. How could anyone fix everything?

* * *

**July 2004**

There was something about waiting for a flight to arrive, for the person to get safely off the plane and retrieve their luggage that was anxiety inducing. So many things could go wrong; one being that the transatlantic flight could have been full of turbulence and Bonnie wouldn't have gotten any sleep which would throw off the fun-packed schedule that Caroline had created for the week.

She hadn't seen her best friend since she had left Mystic Falls for the cruise, had only talked to her on the phone every week since the cruise ended, and while she understood Bonnie's shock and hesitancy over the whole 'I'm not coming home because I got married' announcement, Caroline really hoped that Bonnie would be able to see how  _perfect_  her life had become. Bonnie Bennett was her best friend though and if anyone would be able to judge and accept this new path all at once it would be her. They had been doing that to one another since their sandbox days, Caroline didn't think it would stop anytime soon.

Caroline couldn't contain her squeal as she spotted Bonnie walking toward the baggage area and left Klaus on his own as she raced toward her friend. It was like a scene out of a movie as the two of them ran toward one another before embracing. Caroline was pretty sure that it rivaled their longest hug ever that had happened after she'd returned from visiting her dad for a few weeks during the summer that first time.

"I've missed you," Caroline breathed into her friend's hair as she squeezed her as tight as she dared. She knew the stitches were gone from the appendectomy but that didn't mean the area wasn't still tender.

"I missed you more," Bonnie murmured before pulling away and whacking her on the arm. " _That_  is from Grams. She said she's not sending you your jewelry collection or any of your shoes. You have to go back to Mystic Falls to pick them up. Don't worry; I snuck your favorite pieces out of your box anyway. I'll deal with her wrath when I get home. Besides, I want to see your  _new_  piece of jewelry."

Caroline grinned and raised up her hand, showing off the engagement ring and wedding band that now resided there. "I've sent you pictures!"

"Not the same as in person, Care." Bonnie shook her head, still not quite able to believe that the rings were real, that  _any_  of it was real.

"I know." The fact Bonnie hadn't been present was the only regret she had about the whirlwind romance. "But come on. We need to get your bags and you can finally meet Klaus instead of just seeing pictures or hearing his voice."

"But it's such a nice voice," Bonnie countered as Caroline laughed and then linked their arms together before tugging her along.

"You must be the Bonnie that I've heard so much about," Klaus greeted with a bright grin and a nod. It was the way he looked at Caroline as they arrived at him that impressed Bonnie though. That was the look of a man in love, looking at her best friend like she held the sun and stars in her presence and she stole a look at Caroline, seeing the very same look reflected in her gaze as she looked back at Klaus. "I'm afraid we'll need to gather your bags quickly or this one will need an hour to rearrange the jam packed itinerary she's already created for you."

Bonnie laughed, knowing that was precisely what her best friend would do. It was the happy, teasing manner that Klaus used when speaking about it though that she liked. How it seemed that he found that trait of Caroline's to be amusing and almost adorable instead of a pain like any of her friend's previous significant others. "I hope she fit in you explaining how you got little miss planner here to do a spur of the moment wedding into it somewhere."

"See, I told you she would want to hear that story," Klaus pointed out to Caroline as they headed over to the carousel to collect baggage.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Caroline scrunched her nose at him which only caused Klaus to lean forward and kiss it. She reciprocated a quick one to his lips before reaching for Bonnie's hand and squeezing it. "I'm so glad you're here. I can't wait to show you everything."

Bonnie squeezed back, pleased that her friend looked as happy in person as she sounded on the phone and in the photographs she'd shared. It meant she could relax and enjoy the vacation instead of figuring out how to whisk Caroline out of the country in her suitcase when she returned home. Knowing Caroline was happy with her new life wouldn't cause Bonnie to miss her any less but it would help her to sleep at night and hopefully stop her Grams from trying to read Caroline's astrological sign every other day. It would be nice for sanity to reign over the Bennett household again, or as close to normal as it ever really got.

* * *

**Present Day**

There was no doubt in Bonnie's mind that Caroline was missing Charlotte. She barely spent any time away from her daughter—the most having been a week years back—and after that long business trip had taken to not doing business outside of California. If she couldn't get what she needed done in three days elsewhere then she didn't need the business seemed to be Caroline's motto. Her daughter came first, before her job, even before her own well-being and Bonnie knew why that was for Caroline.

She had seen the transformation of Caroline and her mother's relationship through the years. How they had been super close when she was little and then drifted apart after the divorce only to grow close again before the blow of cancer had entered their lives. Bonnie knew that Caroline was desperate not to have those strained years with Charlotte like she'd had with Liz. She also knew that Caroline didn't want to smother her daughter either. Which was why when Charlotte had begged to go away to a summer camp that lasted over a month Caroline had fretted but finally gave in, knowing her daughter needed that taste of freedom.

That didn't stop Caroline from desperately missing her daughter though.

It also didn't stop Bonnie from wanting to ensure that Caroline got to indulge in some adult time without needing to worry about being the responsible one.

That was why she had shown up at Caroline's with margarita mix and a container full of different colored Jell-O shots. Neither of them had work in the morning and Charlotte wasn't due home for another week, so there was nothing to stop them from getting completely smashed.

Of course since it had been some time since she'd gotten drunk with her best friend, Bonnie had forgotten how much truth seemed to spill out of her. Not that Caroline wasn't honest sober but she perfected giving out doses of brutal honesty when inebriated.

"He's safe. Like a puppy." Caroline was staring up at the ceiling as she rested back against the sofa; Jell-O shot containers strewn about the floor beside her. "Except puppies all grow into dogs and they can become vicious if they want and then what do I have?"

"Who are you comparing to a dog?" Bonnie poured a little more vodka into her drink, trying to balance the amount of juice she'd already put in the glass. She had been concentrating hard and hadn't paid attention to what Caroline had been saying.

" _Tyler,"_  her friend drawled before scrunching her nose in displeasure as it rolled off her tongue. "But then I see his mother or his father even but it's more his mother and she's  _so_ everything has to be done  _this one way_."

Bonnie arched a brow at that, knowing Caroline could be like that as well. No wonder the two of them didn't get along all that well. "But not in that way that Esther was," Caroline muttered, flicking back another shot.

"I thought we had a no talking policy about them?" Bonnie reminded, giving Caroline a pointed look. It never seemed to do her friend any good to remember that family. All it did was open old wounds that were better left closed.

"I just don't understand  _why_ ," Caroline murmured as she dropped the small carton onto the floor with the others.

"Why what?" Bonnie asked, giving up on getting the right balance of vodka to juice. It wasn't like she tasted the difference now anyway with how much they'd already drank.

Caroline closed her eyes and took a long breath before finally answering. "Why I wasn't good enough."

Drinks were completely forgotten at that point and Bonnie moved over to sit next to Caroline, poking her in the chest to get her friend to look at her. "You listen to me," she started, waiting for Caroline to open her eyes. The hurt she saw there had Bonnie sighing before she continued on. " _They_  weren't good enough for you. They're the idiots in all of this. Not you."

"But," Caroline began but Bonnie shook her head and pressed her hand to Caroline's mouth.

"No buts. I'm right." Bonnie shook her head, not willing to let Caroline entertain those depressing thoughts again. She had seen how far down that path her friend had sunk when she'd come to California. Like hell would she let the memory of that family drag her down again. "It's not your fault that they couldn't see how amazing you are."

"I just wonder what they're telling Lizzie about me," Caroline whispered and Bonnie could see all the fear in her friend's eyes at that, in the way her voice trembled at the horrors they might be saying. "When they're eighteen we get to reveal everything to them and just…that's eight more years. So much can happen in eight years, Bonnie."

"Just like you don't let us bad mouth Klaus in front of Charlotte I know he wouldn't let anyone bad mouth you in front of Lizzie," Bonnie told her. She might not like the guy anymore, might think he was the biggest idiot to ever live, but she had seen him with the twins back when they were first born. Bonnie knew he wouldn't hurt the daughter he got to keep like that. The rest of the family might but Klaus wouldn't. "I mean you don't let us even talk about him in front of her but you know what I mean. There's no saying anything nasty about her father."

Caroline nodded but Bonnie could see that her friend wasn't quite convinced about that. "Look, you know my thoughts about Niklaus Mikaelson but I firmly believe he wouldn't do that to Lizzie. Do you really think he would?"

"It's not him I worry about. It's the rest of them. Aside from Kol." Caroline replied with a sad sigh.

"Ah, yes, the infamous Kol that I heard so much about and never met," Bonnie teased, trying to lighten the mood again. Maybe if she focused on that one then Caroline would work herself out of the hole she was falling into.

"It was ridiculous how many times the two of you just missed one another," Caroline shook her head, remembering all of their near encounters.

"Oh well. Considering you said he never lasted more than a week with any one person I think I'm better off," Bonnie grinned, wrapping her arms around Caroline as she settled on the couch beside her. "Now enough depressing what-ifs. We're going to watch a scary movie and drink every time someone does something dumb. Like go upstairs and not out of the damn house when they could."

"That wouldn't have helped in one of those Scream movies anyway 'cause one of the killers was waiting outside…I think." Caroline reminded and Bonnie waved that off before picking up the remote. "Thanks for coming over."

"What are best friends for?" Bonnie grinned at Caroline before making a mental note to have another conversation when the two of them were sober about that damn family and probably about Tyler as well. The dog and Esther comparison were not at all in his favor and like hell did she want Caroline to spiral downward again like she had ten years ago.

Charlotte and Caroline deserved the world and she'd make sure that no one messed that up for the two of them.

* * *

**December 2004**

Getting picked up by the family driver was  _weird_. There was no other way to describe having some man she didn't know standing around the airport with a card that had her name on it and then driving her to a  _manor_. The Mikaelson Manor was grandiose, something out of some travel magazine or that movies filmed to create an atmosphere for a period piece. It was nothing like the downtown flat that Caroline and Klaus had lived in only a few months ago.

Just the drive up the road from the enormous gate with the carefully maintained foliage let Bonnie know that this place was going to be an entirely different ballgame than her visit before. While her friend had played at being a princess as a child, had even won Miss Mystic Falls, and done the required etiquette classes for that venture, Bonnie could tell before even stepping inside that this wasn't at all what Caroline had envisioned.

Her worries were only confirmed as she was led into the house and she was ushered up the stairs and away from whatever else was happening in the home. She could hear people talking in another room, voices that she didn't know with accents similar to Klaus', but they were quickly out of range as she was led up the staircase. Her bags disappeared into a room as she was directed to venture further down the hallway.

She stopped at the last door and found Caroline sitting on a bed and sorting through various tiny clothes. Her friend's already very apparent pregnancy should have been what she was focused on but it was how listlessly she seemed to be moving. There wasn't that spark that screamed Caroline as she watched her. It reminded Bonnie of those first few weeks after Liz's death, how Caroline had just kind of moved through life, not really living it but there, trying to carry on after the world had come crashing down around her.

"Hey," Bonnie started and she watched as Caroline perked up at her voice, but it still wasn't quite enough. "Look at how big you are…"

"Almost six months along. Plus twins." Caroline placed her hand against her stomach, smiling brightly at that thought before reaching out for a hug. "I'm also on bedrest. So there is no moving around for me. Let me tell you how annoying that is."

Bonnie made the few steps forward and enveloped her into a hug. "I can't even imagine you staying in bed for one day let alone the next three months or so."

"If things look better in the next month I might be able to head out once a week for a sit down activity. But for now, I'm pretty much regulated to  _here_." That last word sounded more disagreeable than any of the rest of it. "But don't think you're stuck in this room for your week here. You can still head out to have adventures."

"Like I'm leaving your side. The reason I'm here is to see you not London." Bonnie sat down on the bed beside her, getting a better look at what Caroline had been sorting. It was tiny baby clothes. Old fashioned ones and from the way Caroline was twisting her lips at them Bonnie had a feeling her friend hadn't picked them out.

"These were what all of the Mikaelson children wore their first year. Modeled after the past generations." Caroline set down the next one and shrugged. "Esther brought them for me to go through since I won't be able to go out shopping for anything new."

"How nice of her." Bonnie scooped the lot of them up and dumped them back into the box where the remaining clothes were. "Where's Klaus?"

"Work. He'll be back later tonight but then he has to head out to the Paris branch for a few days." Caroline sighed at that but perked up again as Bonnie looked back at her. "It kind of worked out perfectly that you'll be here while he's gone."

Bonnie nodded and watched her friend closely, trying to get an idea of what was going on in her head. "Come on. I want to show you what he and I have been working on," Caroline murmured and Bonnie laughed as she helped Caroline get to her feet. "I know, I know. I feel like I walk like a penguin now. It's ridiculous."

"Are you even allowed up?" Bonnie didn't really have a clue what bedrest entailed.

"Just around here for short bits. I have to go to the bathroom and I eat at the table because  _ew,_  no crumbs in the bed." Caroline wrinkled her nose in disgust at the idea before making her way over to one of the doors. She twisted the knob and pushed it open before stepping back so Bonnie could look inside. "It's the nursery. Klaus and I have been working on it since we moved over here. Well,  _he's_  been doing the painting and I've been telling him where to put everything."

It was a beautiful little room with two cribs on the far wall. Pale blue walls with horses painted on one wall. That didn't surprise Bonnie in the least. She knew how much Caroline loved those particular animals. "It's gorgeous."

Caroline grinned, a genuine smile that had Bonnie reaching back to squeeze her friend's hand. "We're pretty proud of it."

" _What_  are you doing out of bed?" an annoyed female voice rang out behind them and the two of them turned around. A young blonde woman that looked about their age stood in the other doorway, disapproval clearly etched into her features.

"I'm allowed to move around some, Rebekah," Caroline replied and while her voice was calm, Bonnie saw her friend digging her nails into her palms, a sure sign that she was trying not to appear as aggravated as she currently was.

"If your friend being here is going to cause you to act foolishly then perhaps it'd be best if mother paid for her to be at a hotel for her stay," Rebekah replied as she looked between the two of them. "I'm sure Nik wouldn't want you to be endangering his children."

"My walking around the room isn't endangering  _our_ children. The doctor said I was to get up every so often and walk to sit down so I could eat or walk to the bathroom. Otherwise that can cause problems for me," Caroline reminded but headed back toward the bed. She wasn't in a mood for an argument with the girl. Especially not if it could end with Bonnie shipped out to a hotel.

"Were you going to be eating in the nursery then?" Rebekah asked with a smirk. "Anyway, mother wanted me to inform you that she'll have Bonnie's meals brought up here with yours."

"Sounds good," Caroline replied as she sank down onto the bed, pleased when the other girl left the room.

"She's charming," Bonnie commented from the nursery doorway before closing it.

"Come on and help me sort through which of these baby clothes aren't entirely hideous while you tell me about how college is going for you," Caroline suggested as she patted the space next to her on the bed.

"Sure but I've got to ask why in the world you guys moved in here," Bonnie murmured as she plopped down beside her friend.

"We had some scares already with the pregnancy and the doctor said it would be best if I wasn't alone during the day," Caroline sighed and handed Bonnie some of the clothes to look through. Her hands were shaking and Bonnie caught one of them, giving it a squeeze. She wanted to know why Caroline hadn't told her about whatever had happened but now wasn't the time for that question. "Moving in with his family seemed more practical than hiring a nurse or something to be with me all day. Esther or Rebekah or one of their servants is always here so…"

Bonnie nodded. It did make sense. Especially if Caroline was on bed rest. Being alone with Klaus at work was a recipe for disaster. "And the nursery? Because you guys aren't going to stay here _after_ their born, are you?"

"No. Not forever. For a little bit since we don't know what complications there might be. And it'll be nice to have help with them right after. Two of everything will probably be kind of crazy." Caroline bit her lip, glancing toward the doorway before looking back at Bonnie. "But no more than a month if we can help it. He's already looking into houses for us to buy and move into after they're born. We kind of did the nursery so we don't look like ungrateful asses and that way the girls will have a place to stay for when they visit. Just…not in cribs. Because I'm not being separated from our babies at night until they're at least four."

"You say that now," Bonnie teased. The two of them had their first sleepover together when they were two and it had been a disaster. Or so Liz and Grams had liked to tell them.

Caroline laughed, clearly remembering the same tale before leaning against Bonnie. "I'm really glad you're here."

Bonnie wrapped an arm around her, hugging her as tightly as she dared. "So am I."

* * *

**Present Day**

"Remember your accent," Lizzie told Charlotte as she worked at keeping hers from falling back to her usual. That would probably be the hardest part of everything but the two of them had come up with excuses for that if they did slip. Mostly that they had been doing various plays while at camp and had been playing around with the accent. It'd be easier for Charlotte to get away with since nearly everyone at camp was from the USA so falling back on her Californian twang every so often would probably just be smiled at. It'd be more difficult to explain how Lizzie got the British one considering there weren't that many from the UK at camp, though there had been girls from all over the world.

"I got it," Charlotte replied before scrunching her nose as her normal accent bled in. She repeated the phrase again, sounding more like Lizzie would have.

"Better," Lizzie replied, pleased at her own ability to mimic Charlotte. "You're going to need to watch out if Uncle Kol is there. He'll be able to spot difference quicker than anyone else. Uncle Elijah adores me but he's always busy with work so he won't notice anything that's slightly off. Aunt Bekah will try to smother you with shopping ideas. Agree to some but not to all. She goes overboard. And remember everything we went over for fork placement or Grandmother will make you take lessons."

"Ugh." The last thing Charlotte wanted to do was take etiquette lessons. The ones Lizzie had given her were more than enough. "You gotta watch it with Aunt Bonnie and Grandpa Stephen. But especially with Grams. She  _always_  knows when something is up." It was like the woman had a sixth sense for things. "Grandpa Bill will be easy. He's like Uncle Elijah. Always working.

Lizzie nodded. She'd review all of the notes Charlotte had written down for her on the flight to California and knew that Charlotte would do the same with the ones she'd given her while flying to London. "Now, I'll find out how they met and how they fell in love."

"And I'll be finding why they broke up," Charlotte nodded. They figured Klaus would be the easier one to break in regard to that. Caroline would probably cry and having her mom cry was just not something Charlotte handled very well so she didn't think Lizzie would do well with it either.

"Once we know those things we'll let them know about the switch," Lizzie continued, before grinning. "And then they'll have to meet up again to switch us back."

"And we'll get them to fall in love all over again," Charlotte finished up with a matching smile.

Their names were being called and the two of them hugged one another tightly. The fact that they would be separating again hadn't quite set in until that moment. It wouldn't be like last time though. They would see one another again in two weeks and then after that they would be together forever.

They hadn't figured out where the four of them would live or any other little details, but that part was for their parents. Their job was to get Klaus and Caroline to realize what a gigantic mistake it had been to divorce in the first place.

"I'll call you when I land," Charlotte said as they finally broke apart.

"Give daddy a big hug for me," Lizzie told her as she picked up her bags.

"Give mom one for me." Charlotte picked up hers and headed toward the limousine that was waiting for her—or well,  _Lizzie—_ but that's the name she was going by for now. She turned to watch Lizzie board the shuttle that was taking a group of girls to the airport before turning back to the limo. She handed her luggage over to the driver and grinned as she got inside of it, ready to finally meet her father.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

' _Doubt truth to be a liar but never doubt that I love you'—Shakespeare_

* * *

**Present Day**

Lizzie had thought the plane ride to camp had been the worst of her life. Flying across the Atlantic Ocean on a turbulent flight had left her stomach queasy and with a headache for at least a day, but none of that compared to the trip from camp to California. It was maybe a fourth of what she'd flown before but her anxiety was through the roof by the time the plane landed on the tarmac.

What if her mom realized right away that she wasn't Charlotte?

What if she didn't like her? What if she saw through it all and sent her away as soon as possible, wanting  _her daughter_  back and not Lizzie?

She had the picture of her father in her suitcase—the one that had belonged to Charlotte while her sister had the one of their mother with her now. On the phone she carried were tons of pictures of the woman she had dreamed about for years, of other people who should have been in her life, who she should have gotten a chance to grow up beside. But there weren't any other pictures of her father and none of her grandmother or aunts and uncles. It was going to be weird to not be able to look at them whenever she wanted to but she would see them again.

This might be the only time she could see her mother if things didn't pan out the way her and Charlotte had planned. Which it  _would_. The alternatives were just not allowed.

It took every bit of control for Lizzie to not have a panic attack, though she had nearly fallen over that edge once or twice during the flight. The flight attendant kept checking on her though, making sure she was as comfortable as she could be because she was an unaccompanied minor. That had helped take her mind off the meeting that was about to take place for long spans of time but as she headed through the airport toward baggage claim with all of the other passengers and the flight attendant at her side, all of her worries started clambering for attention.

They were quickly pushed aside when she spotted Caroline at the exit from the airport terminal, big, glittery sign in her hands with 'Welcome home Charlotte' delicately written. She didn't even bother to wait for the flight attendant to see her mother, didn't wait for Caroline to see her either. She had waited far too long for this moment, dreamed of it a million times over, and while it wasn't quite going how she planned, Lizzie would be damned if she didn't give Caroline a hug then and there.

She sprinted across the floor, trying not to cry as Caroline spotted her, a brilliant smile forming on her face as she dropped the sign and eagerly embraced her. Lizzie squeezed tightly as she closed her eyes, trying to remember every little piece of this initial meeting. She needed to categorize how Caroline's arms felt around her, how different they were from being embraced by Sage or Rebekah, and yet how similar it was to when her father hugged her. There was a safety here that she only felt with him, a sense of love and adoration that she only ever got when she was in his presence, and it was practically mirrored in her mother's embrace.

Caroline's scent was different. Citrusy instead of woodsy and Lizzie wanted to smell it forever, wanted to douse herself in the flavor so that she would always remember what being hugged by Caroline felt like.

"I missed you," Caroline murmured into her hair and Lizzie hugged her tighter, ignoring everything else that was happening around them.

"I missed you more," she finally breathed out as they both reluctantly pulled apart. Lizzie held Caroline's hand though, smiling at how easily they fit together, at how perfect it was to be holding her mom's hand.

Caroline was thanking the flight attendant before nudging the two of them over toward the baggage claim to retrieve the luggage. Lizzie grinned as Caroline started talking to her, going a mile a minute about all of the people Charlotte had told her about. "But don't worry. I told all of them that I get you all by myself for the weekend," Caroline informed her as she placed the last of the bags onto the cart.

That sounded like heaven to Lizzie. Two whole days with no one but her mother was definitely a dream come true. Lizzie hoped that Charlotte was enjoying herself in London as much as she was in California and she had only just arrived.

"I'm going to want you to tell me all about camp. What friends you made. What activities you did. If it was everything you ever dreamed of," Caroline continued as they steered the cart out toward the parking lot.

"I'll tell you about everything, Mom," Lizzie promised, unable to stop grinning. "The food was okay, Mom. Not like the best or anything, definitely not like Grandpa Stephen's, Mom. But it was good, Mom."

Caroline laughed and leaned over to hug her daughter to her side "I'm sure Grandpa Stephen will like hearing that it didn't beat out his world famous BBQ."

"I don't think anything really could, Mom," Lizzie replied as they stopped at a car. It looked like the one from a few of the photos on the phone so Lizzie figured it was Caroline's car— _their_  car. Her  _mom's_  car.

She couldn't help but stare at Caroline though as they put all of the bags into the trunk and then steered the cart over toward the drop off area. Even as her mom kept hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze as they rounded back to the car. "What? Do I have spinach in my teeth or something?" Caroline asked before running her tongue over her teeth to check.

Lizzie shook her head. "No, Mom. It's just like seeing you for the first time…in so long, Mom!"  _Phew_. "Cause like I didn't see you for weeks and now I'm just trying to memorize you all over again, Mom."

"All you have to do is look in the mirror to see me," Caroline pointed out as they got into the car. "You've got a lot of my features."

Lizzie looked over at her again after buckling up and scrunched her nose, taking that in. "See, like that look," Caroline pointed out with a smile.

"But my hair is darker, Mom." More like her father's.

"True." Caroline replied as they headed out of the parking lot. "Why do you keep saying 'mom' at the end of every sentence?"

Oh. "Well, Mom, I didn't even realize I was doing it, Mom," Lizzie told her, laughing when she realized she had done it again. "Sorry, Mom." Caroline laughed as well and Lizzie swallowed hard, loving the sound. How had she gone ten years not hearing that sound?

"The truth, Mom?" Lizzie started and Caroline looked over at her, concern etched in her feature's at how serious her daughter seemed at that moment.

"Always, Char."

"It's just like for my _whole life—_ or you know, the last few weeks—I was never able to say the word mom," Lizzie quirked her lips, watching as Caroline did practically the same motion. Did her dad ever look at her and see her mother? She had a feeling that he did. "Not ever. Not even once. And if you ask me, a mom is an irreplaceable person in a girl's life. There's even a whole day for celebrating moms! Just imagine what it's like not to have a mom. To never buy a Mother's Day card." She had given ones to her grandmother before but that simply wasn't the same. All of those countless mother's day crafts made in school had been stealthily dumped before arriving home so that her father didn't see them.

"There are kids that never get to hug their mom or have their mom do their hair. Never do the whole shopping thing with their mom or having them sing you to sleep, or tuck you in or a million other tiny little things that moms do," Lizzie continued, trying to keep her voice light and happy. "You can't be like 'Hi, mom' or, 'Catch you later, mom' or even just 'I love you, mom'. Like a baby's first words are sometimes mama, aren't they?"

"So, what you're saying is that you missed me?" Caroline asked and Lizzie could have sworn she saw a flicker of sadness in the woman's eyes before she smiled. Was she thinking about her? About how she had a daughter out there that wasn't able to do any of those things?

"So much, Mom," Lizzie grinned back, pleased when Caroline reached over and gently squeezed her arm.

"Then we'll need to make sure this is the best girls' weekend yet," Caroline told her and Lizzie placed her hand on top of Caroline's, giving it a squeeze before leaning back against the passenger seat, unable to stop smiling.

* * *

**August 2004**

One late period hadn't exactly freaked Caroline out. Her body reacted to stress sometimes by skipping it and with the sudden change of location plus everything that went along with trying to get into school in London, Klaus' family's reaction and her own fathers' reactions, being a little late hadn't really been a big deal. She hadn't even realized she'd missed it at first. With all the changes and learning the layout of an actual city it hadn't been on her mind.

But then when she was nearing her second month and there was no sign of it, she was beginning to worry. Maybe it was still all the changes though but that excuse would only work for so long. She didn't want to worry Klaus though. Not with the brand new case he had just taken on, the one that would apparently help sky rocket his name into certain circles or whatever if what Elijah and Esther kept going on about was right.

Caroline knew that she couldn't keep this worry from him though. Marriage was about communication and she didn't doubt for a second that he'd pick up on her stress if she tried to keep her concerns to herself.

She planned it all out. How she'd tell him and then what would happen next. Of course all of her plans were shattered on the living room floor because of her inability to get her mouth to keep up with her brain.

"I think I might be pregnant," she started as soon as he walked into their flat.

Caroline swallowed hard once she realized what she had said, waiting for his reaction as she wrung her hands together, not really sure what to do.

Klaus stared at her in shock, no doubt the words still processing in his brain. Was his silence a good thing, a bad thing? Caroline didn't know how to take it and she tried to think of something else to say,  _anything_ to say to break up the silence that had fallen between them.

"Okay," Klaus finally got out and she stared unbelievably at him.

" _Okay?_  Did you seriously just say  _okay_?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a shriek but how was he being so calm right now?

He was across the room and in front of her in seconds, hands sliding up her arms, trying to calm her down. "You said that you think, Caroline, not that you know," Klaus tried, and she shook her head.

"But what if I am?" she demanded, trying to figure it all out in that moment. She was  _eighteen_. They hadn't even been married two months yet.

"Then we'll deal with it," Klaus told her and her eyes widened, unsure what he meant by that. He cringed at his own words, realizing how they sounded. "Caroline, we'll figure this out. But first we need to know if you actually are or not."

She nodded, trying to calm her body down. "I got a test." She'd read the instructions about a hundred times already.

Klaus kissed her forehead as he hugged her tightly, knowing she needed that bit of comfort right then. His mind was also a mess, going through a hundred different scenarios, and Klaus knew that if he was doing that Caroline most likely had been doing so since she'd gotten the idea into her head. He understood her need for planning out different options, for having back up plans. He was the same way but she had a way of freaking herself out when plans fell apart. He didn't want her needlessly stressed.

If she was pregnant then they would alter their plans. It was as simple as that for him. A baby wasn't something either of them had planned for this soon in life, but the idea of Caroline carrying their child was something he couldn't quite be upset about. It only made what had happened between them that more real. Every day he woke up, waiting for her to not be there in bed with him, for the entire cruise to have been a dream. Waking up to feel life growing inside of her would only help cement that this was his life now and he was desperate for that permanence.

Caroline pulled away after a moment and headed into the bathroom. He let her go and pulled off his tie before settling down onto the couch to wait for her to return.

Fifteen minutes later and they had their answer.

They were going to have a baby.

"We're going to need a bigger place," Klaus murmured, brushing back Caroline's hair as she stared down at the stick. His flat could work for a while, but if they were raising children he knew she would want there to be a garden. Nothing like the lofty estate of his childhood home, but a space for their child to run around outside. "Maybe one closer to school for you so you're not having to walk too much." Since she wouldn't let him hire a car for her and insisted on taking public transport, something he knew he'd hate even more once she started showing.

"You're taking this really well," she breathed out, hands shaking as she placed the stick down on top of the box it had come in. "Everything is going to change now."

"We were planning on having children, Caroline. I believe you told me that you wanted at least three," Klaus reminded, running a soothing hand along her back. "We've just sped up the timetable on it." His hand stilled. "Unless you don't want to…"

She shook her head. "No.  _No._  I couldn't…" That option hadn't even entered her mind. "It's just a lot to take in." Their families were going to flip.

Carefully crafted plans had gone through the shredder and that was always hard for Caroline to process. Her mother's words echoed in her head though, about how she wasn't supposed to let life pass her by while she was trying to plan out the perfect moments. "I wonder whose eyes our baby will have," she grinned at the idea, trying to picture it.

"I don't think it works like that," Klaus informed her and she elbowed him lightly in the gut. "As long as they have your nose."

"Mmmm." Caroline pressed a kiss to his nose before pulling away and looking him over. "But you're really okay with this? Because it's going to change everything for both of us. I'll probably manage at least a semester of college before the baby is born and then just see how it goes for the second semester." It would all depend on the pregnancy for if she'd do the spring one or not and there were always online classes. "But you're not going to be able to do so many late nights with work, Klaus. Not once the baby is born at least. And I know that you love your job."

He was good at his job. He was building his career and she didn't want to be a roadblock for him.

"Sweetheart, late nights are something I'll happily do without if it means we'll be bringing something that is part you and me into this world," Klaus replied and brushed his fingers along her cheek.

"Your mom and Elijah will so not like that," Caroline pointed out but he shrugged.

"They'll deal with it." He sounded adamant about that but Caroline had a feeling that Esther would lay down a nice amount of guilt over it all. "We're going to need to find you a doctor though. Make sure we're doing everything we need to."

Caroline nodded, already mentally making a new list of all the things she needed to start looking into. His hand slid under her shirt, fingers brushing against her stomach and she looked at him, knowing what he was thinking.

"We're going to have a baby." It still sounded surreal for her to say but she couldn't help matching his smile at her words.

They could make this work.

* * *

**Present Day**

Charlotte really wasn't a big fan of flying,  _especially_  not over really long distances. The longest she had ever done was to camp and that had been a big deal. Usually when she went places with her mom it was up and down the Californian coast and one time to Portland, but they drove a lot instead of flying. So heading across the Atlantic Ocean on a plane had been a terrifying experience, one that Charlotte wasn't entirely sure she was going to be able to handle.

But she kept reminding herself that on the other side of the long flight would be  _her father_  and that helped quell some of her jitters. The fact she was riding on a  _private jet_  and doted on by all of the personnel didn't hurt either. Plus she could have her bear out with her without anyone questioning where it had come from yet. Lizzie had said that only the captain was someone she had known all of her life. The others she barely saw and wouldn't have to worry about keeping up the charade too much around them.

When she wasn't sleeping, Charlotte practiced her accent, trying to make sure she didn't slip back into her Californian one when she was nervous or excited. The plan was to play it off as having done drama at camp and playing around with accents with the friends she had made but she knew that Lizzie was just as worried as her about accidental slip ups.

She tucked the bear into her carry-on bag before landing, wanting to keep it close but out of sight next to the one photo that she had of Caroline. The door lifted open and Charlotte took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever sight would greet her.

There was a black car off to the side and leaning against it was a man she had only ever seen in one photograph. He looked older but the smile he directed at her was the same as in the picture. "Daddy!" she cried out, running down the stairs and ignoring the cries for her to be careful.

She barreled into him, shrieking when he lifted her up in the air and swung her around. No one had ever done that to her before. Her grandfathers didn't have the strength and her mom was always too afraid she could get hurt. Her shriek turned into laughter as Klaus spun her around before bringing her in for a tight hug.

His hug was different than her mother's, hard lines where her mother had curves, but she felt the same love in his arms that she always picked up when Caroline hugged her. "Did you have them all waiting on you by the end of the first week?" Klaus asked as he pulled back, brushing stray hairs back from her face.

"After the first day, daddy," she grinned, watching as he laughed at that before looping his arm with hers and directing her toward the car.

"I'm not even a little surprised, little love," he told her as he led her around to the passenger side. Her bags were already being stowed away in the boot and Klaus reached to take the one she was still carrying.

"It's okay. I've got this one," Charlotte told him and he simply shook his head and opened the door for her instead. "It's got all of my memories in it from camp. I don't wish to be parted from it." There. That sounded like Lizzie-speak.

"Whatever you want, Liz," Klaus told her before closing the door.

Charlotte watched him talk to the captain of the plane for a moment. She worked to memorize the way he spoke to the others, how he seemed to command authority by just being there, from the way he stood to the tone of his voice. Klaus headed around to the driver's side and got in, offering up a large smile. She could see herself in it and in his hair. The same shade as her own blonde hair, darker than her mom's.

"Now, I don't want you to worry. I already informed your aunts, uncles and grandmother that they're not to come around for the next two days at least," Klaus told her as he drove them off the airport tarmac. "We'll see how many of them actually listen to that but if they disregard my request, I'll be sure that they leave as quickly as they came. I know you'll want to decompress after the trip."

"But we'll still do stuff?" Charlotte asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She knew he was a busy man. Lizzie had told her so but she hoped she would be able to do some things with him before she had to reveal who she really was.

"My schedule is already cleared for at least the weekend," Klaus told her and she let out a sigh of relief at that. "I would have booked us a trip out of town if I didn't know you would want to be home for a bit before another adventure." That was a habit of Lizzie's. Whenever she went away for a length of time she needed at least a week at home before doing anything or so her sister had told her.

"I'm good with whatever you want to do, daddy," Charlotte told him, nodding her head.

"When did you get so agreeable?" Klaus asked with a laugh and Charlotte grinned at him, liking the sound. She hoped she could make him laugh and smile a lot before she'd need to head home.

"Don't worry. I'll be less agreeable after like a week and start making all of the plans again!" He laughed harder at that. "I just missed you."  _So much_. "So I don't care what we do as long as it's together."

"Even if I take you to another art exhibit?" Klaus glanced over at her and Charlotte's eyes widened at the idea before schooling her features and shrugging nonchalantly.

"As long as we get ice cream afterward that's okay." Lizzie had told her that was their tradition. "And I don't have to wear one of those awful dresses that grandmother buys me."

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Klaus told her and Charlotte leaned back against the seat, unable to stop smiling. Especially when Klaus reached over and squeezed her hand for a moment before setting it back onto the steering wheel.

This switch was definitely the best idea she'd ever had.

* * *

**October 2004**

"Did you pick up mangoes?" Caroline called out as soon as he opened the door to their flat.

Klaus shook his head, unsurprised by his wife's question. It seemed that her current craving was for fresh mango.  _Not frozen,_ as he had found out when he'd tried to bring some of that home the other day. He had figured it would allow them to keep more around so she'd have easier access to it, but the frozen kind had only caused her to gag and look miserable for the duration of the day. That was something Klaus had no intention of allowing to happen again.

"I did. A few ripe ones and the rest should be ready by the time you peel into them," Klaus informed her as he shut the door.

He found her sprawled out on the couch with a book in hand and headed over, placing the bag of groceries down on the table as he looked down at her. "And how are my girls doing?"

"The same as we were when you asked me that question like an hour ago over the phone," Caroline teased as she shut her book. She'd finish studying later on. She had a good grasp on the material she'd learned so far and wasn't too worried about the quiz coming up. It was simply better to be prepared and review than not.

She scooted over a little on the couch, giving up enough room so that Klaus could sit down beside her. He leaned over, kissing her in greeting and she didn't think she would ever get enough of his mouth on hers. His hand slid over her swelling stomach and couldn't help but grin against his lips because of how much love she felt from that small gesture.

"Back pain?" Klaus asked as he pulled away, hand still remaining on her belly and moving slowly over it. She shook her head and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Nothing serious," she assured with a shrug but he was already tugging her up so that he could move behind her and work out the kinks that wouldn't quite go away. Klaus tugged her shirt up to her shoulders and Caroline sighed happily as he started massaging her back. "I think you just look for opportunities to get your hands on me."

"Always," he breathed against her ear, causing shivers to run down her spine. He kissed the side of her neck before bringing his attention back to her back, kneading out the knots that he could feel.

"Your mom called. I was just getting inside so I let it go to voicemail," Caroline started and Klaus frowned at that, wondering why she hadn't simply called his cell if she needed something. "I heard it though. She wants to come over for lunch and go over baby names again."

"I believe we're booked for the next month with engagements," Klaus replied. The last time his mother had tried to offer up baby name suggestions Caroline had been wound tight for the next few days. He was not about to repeat that mistake. "She can suggest all she wants anyway, love. It's our decision in the end."

"I know," Caroline murmured, twisting around to look at him. "But we're naming one of the girls after my mom so maybe your mom is right and the other should have a family name?"

Klaus snorted at that. "We're not naming our other daughter after anyone in my family." Esther could have whatever grand delusions she wanted but it wouldn't be happening. "We already decided that we're not going to call her Elizabeth anyway. I believe we settled on Lizzie."

"But," Caroline frowned, and Klaus pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"Don't let her try and guilt her way into the list I know you've created for potential names, love." He had seen her scribbling away in her notebook and looking down at her stomach far too many times for that not to be what she was doing. "We'll pick a name and it will be beautiful." And his mother would learn to deal with not having a child named after her. She could convince Finn or Elijah to do that whenever they finally had children.

"We could always go with Kollita," Caroline replied, and Klaus quirked a brow at that. He could tell that she was trying not to laugh. "Maybe Kol is right and it's a unique name. We could start a worldwide trend."

"No more late night phone calls with my brother," Klaus told her before nuzzling her shoulder as she laughed. "And he can save Kollita for when he's a father."

"Oh no. He's saving Kol Jr for that. Boy or girl, doesn't matter." She yelped when Klaus gently nipped her shoulder.

The house phone began to ring and the two looked at one another before Klaus moved to pick it up. Of course it was his mother. "Which day can I expect you and Caroline for lunch, Niklaus?" Esther asked. He could hear Rebekah chattering away in the background. No doubt Elijah would be stopping by for dinner soon as well.

"I'm not sure when we can schedule that into our calendars," Klaus replied, watching Caroline roll her eyes and pull her shirt down. She picked up the bag of groceries and headed off to the kitchen.

He followed after her as Esther continued. "Your assistant informed me that you have nothing on your schedule this weekend and I believe Caroline will have taken her quiz by then as well." He was going to need to fire that assistant. "So shall I put you down for Saturday?"

"Sunday," Klaus replied, wiping his hand over his face as he watched Caroline slice into one of the mangoes. Just because he said yes now didn't mean they would have to go. Excuses were easy enough to come by and he would field his mother's wrath at being stood up.

"Perfect. I'll see you two at noon then," Esther replied before hanging up.

"So we're doing lunch on Sunday, huh?" Caroline arched a brow and Klaus placed the phone down.

"I'll think of an excuse for us before then," Klaus assured, already coming up with a few he could try out.

Caroline shook her head and dropped the knife into the sink. "Nah. It's fine." If they did that then Esther would just show up at their place which was infinitely worse than any formal lunch. "We'll just need to get really serious about another name so we already have one picked out before we get there."

"As long as it's not Kollita." Anything but that monstrosity. Caroline looked over at the mango she was preparing and quirked her lips. Klaus leaned forward and snagged a piece of it. "And nothing after fruit."

"Spoilsport," Caroline pouted before Klaus moved to get another slice. She smacked his hand. "Stop eating my mango."

"I'd much rather taste something else," he told her as he tugged her closer to him.

"You're insatiable." She couldn't help but grin though as he leaned forward, lips brushing against hers.

"For you? Always." And forever. He didn't think there would ever be a time that he wouldn't want her, wouldn't need her as desperately as he did. She was a light he hadn't even known he was lacking but now that he had it, Klaus knew that he couldn't cope without it.

"Even when I look like a mess and am huge and whining because we don't have any of whatever I'm craving at that moment?" Caroline asked, resting her forehead against his.

"Especially then," Klaus assured, tucking his fingers under her chin before gently raising it. "Always and forever, Caroline."

"Always and forever," she murmured back, before moving to embrace him tightly. He hugged her back and brushed his lips against the crown of her head, still marveling in how right it felt to have her in his arms. "But seriously, stop stealing my mango."

Klaus laughed but didn't pull away, simply held her a little bit tighter, wanting to bask in the perfect moment for as long as he could.

* * *

**Present Day**

Caroline had known she had missed Charlotte the last few weeks, but it didn't really sink in just  _how much_ she had missed her daughter until they were back home. Braiding Charlotte's hair as she listened to her talk about camp had Caroline realizing just how quiet the house had been without her there. She had known that already, had despised the silence that had followed her around without her daughter's presence, but it truly didn't sink in until the house was full of a little girl's laughter and chatter again.

They had eaten entirely too much popcorn and "sweets"—'that's what all the girls are calling it now, Mom'—and watched a ridiculous amount of movies before Caroline was finally forced to call it bedtime. Charlotte was fighting off closing her eyes anyway, trying to prolong the night, but the sooner they slept the sooner they would be able to wake up and start on the plans for the next day.

"I love you, mom," her daughter murmured into her as she hugged her tightly before heading into her bedroom for the night.

Caroline watched her go, smiling as she bounded up the stairs two by two, before turning around to clean up the mess they had made. She could have done it in the morning but there would be no way she could sleep knowing there were bowls and wrappers left behind. The lack of Charlotte's chatter though let Caroline's mind wander back to their earlier conversation during the ride home.

The one about children without mothers.

She couldn't help but think about the daughter she had been forced to leave behind, the one who wasn't able to do all of things that Charlotte had mentioned. Caroline had never looked to see if Klaus had remarried. It wouldn't have exactly surprised her if he did. Especially if Esther got a say in it. So maybe her other daughter did have a mother. Maybe she didn't feel a pang of sadness every time Mother's Day rolled around.

She headed upstairs, checking in on Charlotte for a moment before moving onto her room. The picture in her bedside drawer was worn, the colors not quite as bright as they once had been. Anyone who looked at it would simply think it was a well-loved photograph of Charlotte. Only Caroline knew that it was Lizzie, dressed in purple so she would be able to tell the two of them apart at that young age. Charlotte had always been in red.

She sat down on the edge of her bed and stared down at the photograph in her hands. Knowing that all she needed to do was look at Charlotte to know what Lizzie probably looked like didn't quite cut the pain. If anything it only sharpened it, making the lack of contact, of presence in her little girl's life that much harder.

"Mommy?" Charlotte called from the doorway and Caroline schooled her features before turning toward her. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Of course you can." She patted the bed, smiling as Charlotte bounded toward her before placing the photograph back where it belonged.

The two of them got under the covers and Caroline reached over, shutting off the light as Charlotte snuggled up to her. "I love you so much, my little love," Caroline murmured as Charlotte's arm wrapped around her. She brushed her fingers through her daughter's hair, listening to her repeat the sentiment before her breathing evened out, signaling that she was asleep.

_And I love you, my other little love._  "Always and forever."

 


	7. Chapter 7

Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it. - L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

* * *

**Present Day**

The bedroom was just like Lizzie had told her it would be. Charlotte didn't think the pictures really did any of her father's house justice, just like the ones she had of her own home probably hadn't really been enough for her sister either. Actually being in the home, touching the bed, drawing her fingers along the trophies her sister had won for horseback riding, seeing the photographs of their dad and Lizzie together in the room was overwhelming. If she pretended hard enough, Charlotte could think it was her in those photographs with him. There really wasn't any difference between the twins, no little tell that could give either of them away. But it wasn't her there smiling as her father lifted her up and she wasn't the girl wrinkling her nose as she stood next to her aunts and uncles.

This  _should_ have been her life.

She  _should_ have been in each of them.

There  _should_  have been two of them with their mom and their dad.

Charlotte knew Caroline missed him that her mother hadn't moved on. She saw the ring on the necklace chain around her mother's neck or tucked lovingly away when her mom couldn't seem to handle wearing it. She heard her Aunt Bonnie's whispers and her grandfathers' comments when everyone thought she was sleeping. She just hadn't ever really paid too much attention to it, knowing that talking about her father made her mom sad and Charlotte didn't like upsetting her.

Lizzie had said that their dad hadn't been seeing other women that she knew of and Charlotte wondered if he was like her mom. Did he still wear the ring? Did he keep it tucked away somewhere safe only to pull it out and look longingly at it when he didn't think Lizzie was looking?

The photographs of Lizzie and Klaus grinning brightly had Charlotte wanting to know the answer to that even if she meant to enjoy every second that she got to spend with him. She would just multitask; after all she was Caroline Forbes' daughter.

"Got everything where you want it yet?" Klaus asked from the doorway and Charlotte turned around, nodding happily when she noticed his small frown. "Lexi called."

Lexi? Oh right. Lizzie had told her who that was. No need to worry. "They need me at the office for a bit." It was obvious that he didn't want to go but there was little chance of getting out of it. "We're going to need to change plans a bit. We'll pick up take away and you can hang out in your room there for an hour and then we'll head off to the exhibit."

"Okay!" That would give her a chance to snoop around there as well and they would still be able to spend time together.

"Are you sure?" Klaus watched her carefully, no doubt trying to be certain that she was actually alright with the switch. He could always call Lexi back and have her and the others deal with the new matter but that would only cause more late nights during the week. Hopefully hashing everything out for an hour would get them ahead of any issues that could arise because of the new information Lexi had uncovered.

"Uh huh," Charlotte grinned and walked over to him. "But  _I_  get to pick out what kind of takeout we're doing."

Klaus laughed at that. "Seems fair, my little negotiator."

Charlotte beamed, taking the stairs two at a time as she headed downstairs while Klaus went back into his room for a moment. She took out her phone once she was at the bottom and after a quick glance to make certain that he was still busy, she sent off a quick email to Lizzie, wanting to let her know how great everything was so far and also to check in on her and their mom.

"Yes, Elijah," Klaus muttered into his phone as he headed down the stairs and she tucked hers away again, remembering that Elijah was one of her uncle's name. "Lizzie and I are on our way. Of course I'm bringing her with me. She just got back into town and this my weekend with her." He smiled at her before shaking his head and making a face as Elijah continued to speak.

Charlotte laughed, wondering why Lizzie hadn't mentioned how funny their dad could be. "No. I am not dropping her off with mother. We're staying for an hour and then the two of us have plans," Klaus continued, picking up his keys from the hook by the door. He motioned for her to head toward the front door and Charlotte skipped ahead, opening it for the two of them and then bounding down the front steps of the townhouse. She waited for Klaus, not entirely certain which car was theirs.

Thankfully he hit the button on the keychain that unlocked the car, causing the one nearest to them to beep and alert her where to go. She strapped herself in as Klaus rounded to the driver's side, still speaking with Elijah. "You're on speaker phone now," Klaus stated as he sat down, the phone switching over to the car's speakers. Charlotte heard the warning in his voice and wondered if Elijah hadn't stopped trying to get her dad to drop her off with her grandmother so he could work more.

"Hi Uncle Elijah," she greeted, as Klaus stowed his phone away in his pocket.

"Hello, Elizabeth. Did you have a lovely trip?" Elijah asked and it was weird to hear another accented voice. He sounded so proper, almost a bit distant which was very different than how her Aunt Bonnie greeted her.

"It was splendid." That worked, right? Splendid seemed like a word Lizzie would use.

"I'm sure your grandmother will love hearing about it at brunch tomorrow," Elijah continued, and Charlotte caught Klaus' hands tightening on the wheel at that statement.

"Oh, we're going to brunch. Daddy and I already have plans to…see the horses." Charlotte looked over at Klaus, grinning conspiratorially. She knew he didn't want to share her with the others just yet and she was perfectly okay with keeping the weekend to being just their time.

"That's right. Poor Matilda hasn't been getting the love she's used to while Lizzie's been away. We'll be there in thirty, Elijah. Need to pick up some food." Klaus pushed the button the steering wheel to hang up before his brother could reply. "Do you know what your take away pick is?"

"Pizza." Uh…maybe that wasn't the best answer.

"Pizza?" Klaus arched a brow.

"It's a camp tradition. You're supposed to have your favorite food from camp when you get back home. Share it with your family so they can see a bit of what camp was like," Charlotte told him, thankful that she could think quickly on her feet.

"And your favorite was pizza?" Klaus shook his head and Charlotte nodded. "I know just the place then."

Charlotte settled back against the seat and looked out the window, watching London pass by them, wondering if her mom had been as awed by the city as she was feeling the first time she had seen it.

* * *

**October 2004**

"I'm beginning to think that you don't know how to do small," Caroline teased as Klaus pulled out the chair for her to sit down. She'd said she wanted pizza for dinner and had expected to order some for delivery. Nothing as fancy as where he had brought her. Not that the place was even exactly fancy, she knew her mother-in-law wouldn't see it that way, but it was definitely the nicest pizzeria she had ever been.

It was also the  _only_  one she had ever been in.

Mystic Falls had one pizza place and it was known for its linoleum floors and plastic counters. It definitely didn't have a wood burning stove for cooking the pizza and the cups there were all paper because no one actually ate at the shop. They just picked it up and headed on home or lucked out and were able to get delivery because the current delivery boy had decided to actually show up for his shift.

Klaus arched a brow at her as he took the seat opposite, handing her the menu. "Only the best for my girls," he reminded and Caroline couldn't help but grin at that. She loved when he called them that, when he spoke of their twins still developing inside of her. "This place is fairly new and a bit of a diamond in the rough I suppose, but the service is impeccable and the food even better."

"You don't really strike me as a pizza kinda guy," Caroline pointed out, as the waitress came over to take their drink order.

"Kol is. He found this place and took me here when he was staying with me one time. It's now my go-to place for pizza," Klaus told her after the waitress left. "Though I am concerned about the horrors you're going to want on it."

She stuck her tongue out at him and picked up the menu. Was it her fault that her cravings had resulted in some weird combinations? "They do the whole half and half thing so you can get whatever you want on yours and I'll make sure the babies get what they want on theirs." Because the desire to have a side of sour cream to dip her slices in was definitely  _not_  her idea.

Once the order was in Caroline took the pad of paper and pen from her purse and flipped to the last page. They had the name Elizabeth. That one had been simple enough and while they wouldn't be calling their daughter by that long name but by Lizzie, she thought it was a good way to honor her mother who wouldn't ever get the chance to meet her granddaughters. She loved that Klaus agreed with her, that he had been the one to suggest even when they had started to think of names.

Now was the hard part, figuring out the second name that had to fit with Elizabeth. Klaus looked over at the book and shook his head at the name Kollita that was written in his brother's writing. "I see Kol is still pushing for that."

It would  _never_ happen.

"I'm not entirely sure he won't call our daughter it even when she has an actual name," Caroline laughed, before crossing out the name she had just written down. Jennifer just didn't work. She continued to scribble down names, crossing them out nearly right after she'd written them, before finally looking up.

It always amazed Caroline to see Klaus watching her. The adoration in his eyes as he looked at her took her breath away every time and she smiled at him, looking at his dimples as he reciprocated it. "What was your favorite book as a child?" Klaus asked and Caroline scrunched her nose.

"A Little Princess but I really don't like the name Sarah." Sarah and Elizabeth just didn't go together like she wanted. "And it can't be Jessica because we're not having the Wakefield twins." Because she had read those books and no way were their daughters turning out like those two.

Klaus simply nodded, obviously not knowing what she was commenting about. "What was your favorite?" she asked, wondering if maybe his would hold some ideas.

"I believe it was the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe," Klaus mused, trying to remember what he'd enjoyed. "Or maybe that was Henrik's. None of the names work for me though." He paused before continuing on. "What was your mother's?"

Caroline was silent for a moment, trying to remember if she even knew that detail. "Charlotte's Web." That had been it. She could remember her mom reading it to her when she was younger and how hard she had cried over the spider's death.

"Charlotte," Klaus let the name roll off his tongue and Caroline liked how it sounded. "Elizabeth and Charlotte."

"I think we have a winner." She wrote the two names down beside one another on a new page and they even looked perfect together. Caroline placed a hand on her stomach and smiled, knowing they finally had their daughters' names. "Elizabeth and Charlotte."

* * *

**Present Day**

Lizzie had been to the beach before in France with her father but it was a very different experience than doing so with her mom. With her dad it had been a planned trip, not something that was apparently routine, something that happened after lunch just because they felt like going. She wondered if Charlotte and her mom did this often and had a feeling that they did from the photographs that were on display back at the house.

What was it like to come out every weekend and build elaborate sandcastles? To look for seashells for as many hours as she wanted or rocks or a million other little things in the warm Californian weather? It was vastly different than London and while she loved her home she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up in the sun and surf. Was this where they were meant to be?

She could imagine her father beside them and Charlotte helping to add shells to the castle that her mother was helping her with. She could practically hear her father's laughter tying in with her mother's and how perfect that sounded. And then there was Charlotte's along with her own making it even better.

"Don't forget to drink your water," Caroline reminded her, glancing over at the water bottle lying on the towel nearby.

"I won't," Lizzie promised. She smiled at the concern before her gaze traveled over to the couple who was getting their picture taken with the beach as their backdrop. "Do you ever think about getting married again or about the F word?"

"The  _F_  word?" Caroline practically sputtered out, going a bit red in the face and Lizzie simply nodded.

"Yeah, you know. My father," she continued, wondering why her mom seemed to relax a bit at that answer before tensing all over again.

Caroline couldn't quite help touching the ring that lay hidden just beneath her shirt, out of sight but never out of mind. "What brought this on?"

Lizzie nodded over to where the couple were laughing and posing for the photographer. "How did you meet him?"

She didn't know the story and it was something her and Charlotte were trying to figure out. "On a cruise ship after I graduated high school," Caroline told her, smiling softly at the memory. "He was a complete as—annoyance at first but after a bit he was charming and we spent every second together."

Lizzie grinned, knowing that was the perfect description of her dad. He could definitely be annoying and a jerk but when he wanted to he was perfectly charming. It had women wanting his attention even if he didn't give any out to anyone but her. "And you fell madly in love?"

"Yes," Caroline replied, before looking back at the castle they were making. "We both did. I always wondered when you'd start asking questions about him."

"Did you get married in a dress like that?" Lizzie asked, looking back at the smiling couple. Was it long or short? Had there been a train? She'd only ever seen the top of it in the one photograph that she had of Caroline but she had so many questions about it.

"There was a white dress but not quite like that one. We bought it at a seaside town in Greece shortly after he proposed to me," Caroline placed a shell on the castle, keeping her focus on the shells as she continued to talk. "He proposed in Corfu. It's an island with white sand beaches and pastel houses that look like they're jumping out of a painting. I think he painted it once."

Lizzie watched her mother talk, noting her how her smile seemed to grow as she talked about it all. She knew the painting her mother was talking about. It hung in their dining room, the one that they never actually used because it was just the two of them and sometimes Uncle Kol eating over so the table in the kitchen was better.

"I don't even know where he got the ring or when because we were rarely out of one another's sight, but he was down on one knee before I knew it," Caroline kept on, fingers brushing over a few of the shells as her gaze seemed to go very far away for a moment, as if she was remembering all that had happened. "We were by ourselves on the beach, away from the rest of the tour group that we'd joined that day."

"And you said yes?" Lizzie asked. It all sounded so romantic.

"Actually, I asked him if he was out of his mind first." Caroline laughed at the memory before looking back over at her daughter. The shade of blonde was a forever reminder of Klaus. "But I did say yes and we were married near the end of the cruise. Gave your Aunt Bonnie and granddads a heart attack when I called and said I wasn't coming home."

"Were they mad?" Because she had a feeling her grandmother would have been furious if her father had done that. Esther Mikaelson got annoyed whenever things didn't go exactly as she planned them.

"They were…concerned," Caroline replied with a sigh. "But that was a long time ago."

"Did they like him? My dad?" Because maybe that's why they weren't together? Maybe they hadn't liked Klaus and had made her mom come home.

"After they got to know him yes," Caroline murmured before her phone chirped, signaling a call.

She picked it up and Lizzie focused her attention on the water as her mother talked to whoever was on the phone before her mother touched her shoulder. "It looks like there's an emergency at the office, Char. Want to go with me or should I drop you off with Grandpa Stephen?"

While Lizzie wanted to meet her granddad she wasn't quite ready to give up time with her mom just yet. "I think going to the office would be lovely."

"Lovely?" Caroline laughed as she started collecting their things.

"It's what one of the girls at camp was always saying when she thought something would be fun. I liked it so much that I started doing it." Yeah, that explanation should work.

"Then I am sure we'll have a lovely time together," Caroline replied with a grin before taking Lizzie's hand.

Lizzie gave it a squeeze as the two started the trek to the car, wondering exactly what had caused her parents to break up since it didn't seem like Caroline's family was responsible. She was going to need to make a list of ideas and cross them off as she learned more about everything. Hopefully she could talk to Charlotte soon and see what her sister had learned. Between the two of them she expected they would have it figured out in no time.

Two heads really were better than one.

* * *

**November 2004**

Klaus had been in the middle of a meeting when he'd gotten the call. He'd almost let it go to voicemail but with Caroline being pregnant and new to the city he hadn't wanted to take any chances. The number wasn't one he knew but it was the words that had caused his whole world to stop.

"Your wife is in the hospital."

He hadn't even bothered to walk back into the meeting, hadn't explained anything to Elijah as he tore out of their offices, trying to listen to what the nurse was telling him. He needed to know the hospital, needed that information so that he could get right over to Caroline, and whatever his brother was yelling at him as he raced down the hallway could wait for later.

The next thirty minutes had gone by in a blur and Klaus wouldn't be able to recount precisely how he'd even gotten to the nurse's station. He was ushered back into the room Caroline was in and froze at the curtain, breath stopping as he looked at his young wife on the hospital bed. She was hooked up to an IV and a monitor for her as well as one for the babies, all three heartbeats at least steady as he made his way to sit down on the chair beside her.

He took her hand and it was so small in his, her face too pale for his liking. He barely heard what the doctor said at first. Something about her fainting on campus and an ambulance being called to take her to the hospital. She hadn't woken yet and they had been worried that she had caused damage when she'd hit the ground but so far the tests had come back okay.

The babies though. The doctor was worried about them.

Klaus sat by her side until she finally woke, looking disoriented and trying to move until he rose, making sure she stayed in place. "Klaus?" She was frightened and he smiled reassuringly, brushing her hair to help calm her as she took in where she was at. "The babies?"

Tears swelled in her eyes, spilling out as she no doubt imagined the worse, and Klaus shook his head. "They're okay," he told her, even if he wasn't entirely sure that was the truth but he didn't want her to worry more than she already was. Caroline closed her eyes as she pressed a hand to her stomach, needing to feel them.

"It's going to be okay," Klaus tried again, brushing the tears from her face as they waited for the doctor to come back.

Klaus' phone rang and he cursed, annoyed at himself for forgetting to turn it off. It was his mother and he canceled the call before shutting it off. The rest of the world could wait for a bit. His focus was going to remain on Caroline, to make sure she wasn't freaking out like he knew she could do. She was stressed enough as it was and he refused to let anything else worsen that for her.

The doctor eventually returned, informing them about possible stressors to the twins and what that could mean. "I'm going to need to put you on restricted activity," the doctor told them. "Depending on what we see happening in the next few weeks that may be all you need to do or it may come down to bed rest for you."

"The girls are okay though?" Caroline asked and Klaus rubbed a soothing hand up her arm.

"They're going to be fine," the doctor told her and Caroline nodded as the man left to get them the necessary paperwork.

"I'll cancel my meetings," Klaus told her and Caroline shook her head but Klaus squeezed her hand, not caring what the others might think. He was supposed to be heading out of town for the next week because of work but that didn't need to happen. He'd send one of his team to do it or Elijah could.

He didn't know how they were going to work with Caroline being on restricted activity. He couldn't stay away from work forever and wasn't sure who he could ensure would be around enough to help her out with things she might need. And what about college? She was nearly done the semester but from what the doctor had said it didn't look like she'd be able to return just yet. They'd need to talk to the school but he didn't want to bring that up when she seemed to finally be calming down.

"We'll figure this out, love." He'd do whatever was needed to make sure that she and their twins stayed safe and healthy. Even if it meant relying on family in ways he didn't particularly want to.

* * *

**Present Day**

Being at her dad's office was about as thrilling as whenever she went to her mom's office. It helped that there was a room completely devoted to her—or well to Lizzie—right there for her to use, but Charlotte was more interested in learning more about her father. She figured she could do that while enjoying pizza at his desk. Klaus was off in a conference room with his team—a whole group of people who apparently knew her but Lizzie had only told her about Lexi—so that had been a bit awkward. It helped to keep the smile on her face and throwing in a few 'It's lovely to see you' seemed to have worked.

She had the timer on her phone going because she didn't actually want to get caught snooping. But her dad had said it would take no more than an hour so Charlotte figured she had at least thirty minutes to look around.

There were a lot of photographs on Lizzie on the desk and one of his family…her family, the ones she only knew about from pictures and what Lizzie had filled her in on. Charlotte didn't like the photographs though. No one was smiling in it aside from Lizzie and Kol. Everyone else looked so stiff that she almost wondered if they were all statues or cardboard cutouts instead of actual people.

They were nothing like the photos back home of her with her grandparents and her Aunt Bonnie. Those were full of smiles and silly faces. They looked happy. These people looked bored.

She munched on her pizza as she swung her legs while sitting on the big comfy chair. It was easy to spin in and she did that for a while, taking in the plaques and framed diplomas on the wall. Her mom had one from college like that. She vaguely remembered being there for the graduation ceremony and the cap throwing.

There were wooden filing cabinets behind her, large ones that were all locked and she figured wouldn't have held anything that interested her in them anyway. The drawers of the desk weren't that much better. A lot of office supplies, extra paper, and a box of chocolates that were half gone.

At least she'd learned that her dad had a sweet tooth. That was good to know.

Charlotte leaned back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling as she swung the chair around again, letting it spin until it finally stopped and she was facing the desk again. She pushed herself up and walked around the room, sipping on her lemonade as she looked at all of the framed papers. Her dad sure seemed to like school considering how many diplomas he had.

It was on the way back to the desk, looking into the bottom open drawer from a different angle that she noticed the book underneath all of the copy paper. It took some finagling but she eventually got it out.

Lizzie had mentioned that their dad liked to paint and sketch sometimes, that it was 'how he de-stresses' and smiled as she opened the sketchbook. She saw a sketch of a little girl who looked an awful lot like her at age four and knew it must have been Lizzie. There were others of different places, ones that she didn't know but must have held some meaning with the amount of detail that went into them.

It was the ones with just a pair of eyes though that had her staring at the paper for a long time. The date on the page was recent, only a few ago, and Charlotte gasped as she realized that she knew those eyes.

They were her mom's eyes. She'd know them anywhere.

That  _had_ to mean something, didn't it?

She took out her phone and took a quick picture of it before sending it off to Lizzie with a text.  _He draws mom still?_  She put the phone away and set the book back down as her timer started going off, not wanting to get caught with it. Thankfully she had everything put away and was finishing up her pizza when her dad and Uncle Elijah headed into the room.

"Niklaus, this is too important for you to just leave now," Elijah continued, following Klaus inside but stopped upon seeing her. "Hello, Elizabeth. It is wonderful to see you again."

"Hi Uncle Elijah," she greeted with a smile before dumping her trash into the wastebasket beside the desk.

"Lizzie and I have plans, Elijah. The team knows what I want them to do. I'll check back in with them on Monday and we'll go from there," Klaus replied, his voice harder than Charlotte had ever heard it before.

"I don't know if looking at it Monday will be soon enough," Elijah protested and Charlotte got off the chair when Klaus motioned for her to head toward the door. "Perhaps tomorrow Elizabeth can visit with Rebekah and mother while you put in a few hours here."

While Charlotte wanted to eventually see her aunt and grandmother, she really didn't like the idea of giving up time with her father. She frowned as she listened to her uncle speak and tried to figure out what Lizzie would have said in that moment. "We can always see the horses another day," she tried, offering up as big a smile as she could muster.

Elijah nodded at her, obviously liking her idea while Klaus glared at his brother before looking down at his daughter. Charlotte looked up at him, unsure what his answer would be. She knew her mom would have said everything could be taken care of on Monday because she was her number one priority, but maybe it was different with fathers.

"Lizzie and I will be enjoying our day together tomorrow." Klaus smiled at her before opening the door and urging her to step forward. He didn't' follow right away though and she stopped, watching him turn back toward her uncle. "Don't make me choose between this job and spending time with my daughter, Elijah. You won't like which one I'll choose. Say goodbye to your uncle, Lizzie."

Lizzie waved at him, noting the way Elijah frowned and the tension that seemed to surround him because of her father's words. "Do you want to come with us? We're going to see some paintings and get ice cream." She looked over at Klaus. "We're still getting ice cream, right?"

He had been staring hard at his brother but his expression softened when he looked down at her. "Yes we are."

"Thank you for the offer, Elizabeth, but I have responsibilities to finish here," Elijah told her, though at least he was smiling as Klaus steered her out into the hallway.

"Do you need to stay? We can always go see the paintings and get ice cream another day," Charlotte started when they got to the lift.

"No," Klaus shook his head as he let her push the arrow. "Your uncle and I have very different priorities in life, Lizzie. You will always be the top of mine while his will be the family firm."

She nodded as the doors opened and they stepped on, taking his hand in hers and swinging it slightly as the doors closed. So it wasn't different with fathers. She was still the number one priority. That was nice to know. "Okay, then let's get ice cream first."

Klaus laughed and nodded for her to hit the lobby floor button. "I'm sure I can be persuaded to make that happen."

* * *

**November 2004**

Klaus looked over his childhood room. It practically looked like every other room in the house and many would have thought it another guest room from the lack of anything personal on display. There were no childhood toys to be looked at, no pieces of the boy he had been or the teenager who had occupied the room during school breaks. There was a photograph of him on the dresser but that was the extent of anything that made the room his own.

Kol's was the same a few doors down, even Rebekah's who actually still lived in the house with their mother had barely anything to distinguish the place as hers unless someone opened the closet. The only room that had any sort of reminders to it was Henrik's room down the hall. It hadn't been touched since the boy's death, old toy train still half off the track from how he left it, a living memorial to the boy who would never grow up.

Klaus despised the place. He hated the smells of the house, the routines that were strictly adhered to even though Mikael was dead and gone. Everything ran to his mother's specifications and the last thing he truly wanted to do was bring Caroline there. But she needed to be able to get help at a seconds notice and with the number of servants running around plus his mother and the occasional sibling there would be plenty of people around to tend to her needs.

After the scare on campus neither of them wanted to take any chances.

"I've had the sitting room cleared out for you," Esther informed him from the doorway that led to that area. "We'll have it converted into a proper nursery in no time."

Klaus placed down the box he had brought up, thankful that Caroline was busy speaking with his sister downstairs at the moment. "We won't be here that long, mother."

"Nonsense, Niklaus," Esther shook her head and he noted the disdain in her eyes as she looked at the contents of the boxes. "With your work schedule Caroline will need help with the children and who knows what kind of state she'll be in after giving birth if there are already complications."

He couldn't discount that possibility but he meant to have them in a place of their own as soon as possible after the twins' birth. Her dads wanted to come over to help, Bonnie probably would as well, and Klaus had no problem hiring someone to assist once things were cleared. He'd take days off, cut down on his hours to be there as well. Elijah and the rest would simply need to understand where his priorities lay.

There was no use in bringing that up to his mother though. Not until he had everything set in place.

Klaus spotted a table that hadn't been there before in his room, wondering what it was for. Esther headed over to it. "You said she shouldn't be doing too much. This way she can have meals up here when she's not up for attempting the stairs."

Which was why he had wanted them to be on the ground floor but Esther had said the lower level guest room was being renovated. "She'll be right near your sister and me so if there are any difficulties we'll be able to hear her call for us," Esther continued, wiping a finger along the dresser near her. "I'll have the staff do another round of dusting before Caroline is brought up here and I expect you to go over the rules with her for how rooms are maintained here. She'll have help as her movement is limited but I won't have this place looking like your school dorm did."

"Considering Caroline's neat tendencies I doubt that will be an issue." If anything it was probably going to drive his wife crazy that she wasn't able to clean like she normally did. With the stress she was under, Klaus knew she probably missed one of her go-to ways of dealing with it.

Esther waved his comment off and headed toward the door. "Mealtimes will be adhered to and you will call to let the kitchen know if your dinner needs to be put aside for later because of your work hours."

"I won't be working late," Klaus told her. Or at least that was the plan. He was sticking around until six and then he'd head home, take a few files with him if absolutely necessary, but after six his time was for Caroline. "I won't be going out of town either. Someone else can go in my place."

He watched his mother tense at those words, could almost imagine her mouth drawing into a tight line before she turned toward him. "You'll do what you need to do to continue soaring in your career. This pregnancy is not allowed to damage your current trajectory. Do not forget your priorities."

"Priorities change, mother." Shouldn't she understand that?

"This family cannot afford for you to start making mistakes now," Esther reminded, clearly not happy with his response. "Do not throw away everything you have worked for all of these years. Rebekah and I will ensure that Caroline is fine. You make sure that you'll be able to provide them with the life they deserve."

She turned on her heel and left before he could say anything else. He heard Rebekah and Caroline walking down the hall and forced himself not to follow after his mother, to set her straight. Caroline didn't need to hear another argument between him and his family, especially not one that was even slightly about her.

Rebekah dropped her off at the door before hurrying away. Caroline smiled at him before her features quickly grew concerned. "What happened?"

Klaus closed the distance between the two of them, taking her hands in his and kissing her fingertips softly. "I was thinking we should order pizza."

Caroline looked him over and Klaus made sure to keep the smile on his face, trying to assuage any of her worries. "Alright. I'm gonna need some sour cream then."

"I'm sure I can wrangle up some of that for you," he promised, and nodded for her to go sit down, knowing she'd already been up on her feet more than necessary.

"I love you," Caroline told him and then tugged her hands out of his grasp so she could hug him tightly.

"I love you too," Klaus murmured against her forehead before kissing it. All they needed to do was make it through the next few months. He'd managed to live eighteen years in this house; surely they could survive a few more months.

 


	8. Chapter 8

_I started promising myself to never stay anywhere I'm not very much wanted. I have too many scars to be breaking my bones to fit into places that weren't meant made to fit me-Anne **  
**_

* * *

**June 2004**

"Rebekah is your only sister," Caroline murmured as she went through the photographs on Klaus' phone one more time, reciting what she had learned about his family in the last few days.

She hadn't expected for the cruise to become such a life altering occasion. Not only had she met an amazing man like Bonnie had wanted her to do, but she'd fallen in love during her whirlwind adventure. Marriage was a huge step, possibly a  _crazy step_ , but this was the kind of love that her mother had told her about, that she saw between Stephen and her father whenever she was with them. How could she just walk away from that?

Her life was going to change in ways that she hadn't even thought of yet and so would Klaus', but they would help one another get through all of the bumps along the way and happily enjoy all of the good times as well. Knowing that didn't really curb her anxiety as the car drove them closer to Klaus' family home.

Especially not with Kol voicing his opinions every so often.

She liked him, really she did, but Kol Mikaelson had a way of making her stress level jump to insane points when he wanted to and the smirky bastard knew it.

"Try not to be too concerned when she criticizes every little thing that you wear," Kol told her as he leaned forward again from the backseat. "If it isn't something she saw on the runway this season then it isn't worthwhile in her opinion."

"Kol," Klaus warned, narrowing his eyes as he looked back at his brother in the rearview mirror, nudging him backward with his elbow.

"I'm just trying to make sure Caroline is prepared, Nik." Kol shrugged and sank back against the seat. "It's mother that you'll really have to look out for anyway."

Caroline took a deep breath at that. Klaus had told her stories about every family member while they had been on the cruise, little details that had her feeling like she already knew all of them. Elijah was the proper brother who would no doubt unwaveringly polite whenever they interacted. Finn would hardly be around though his wife Sage seemed like a person Caroline might get along with alright from what Klaus had said about the woman. Rebekah was a wildcard though. The two might have shared similar interests but the fact that Caroline was with Klaus would apparently be a huge negative in the girl's eyes. Apparently Rebekah didn't like any of his previous girlfriends.

Not that Caroline was his girlfriend.

She looked down at the rings on her finger, smiling at the two of them before reaching over to give Klaus' hand a squeeze. He smiled reassuringly at her before turning the car toward a house that she could have sworn was right out of a Jane Austen novel. The landscape was meticulously done, reminding her of the Salvatore house back home but even that home paled to this one in comparison. The Mikaelson Manor seemed to vibrate with history and she was only seeing the exterior.

"You're a Mikaelson now, darling," Kol started as he opened the back car door. "You really should have made him a Forbes instead. I'm sure your family doesn't have all the skeletons that this one has collected."

Klaus glared at his brother again as Kol shut the door, chuckling to himself as he waited for the other two to get out. They didn't quite move to do so though, Caroline's grip on Klaus' hand tightening as she stared at the expansive property, working to steel herself for what was about to happen.

It wasn't every day that people went away on a cruise to returned married to someone who was a stranger only a few weeks ago.

"I love you," Klaus reminded her as he brought her hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. "We're only staying for a bit before I take you home."

_Home_.

That wasn't Mystic Falls any longer. It wasn't the house she had shared with her mother for nearly eighteen years. It was going to be a flat in London but that was okay. It wasn't nearly as frightening a concept as it would have been without Klaus there beside her. Plus at least this was face-to-face unlike when they had called her dads and Bonnie to let them know that she wasn't returning to the states and was now married. She was definitely not looking forward to her dads coming over in two weeks to see them and no doubt grill Klaus.

"I love you too," Caroline told him before leaning over to press her lips gently against his.

" _Honestly, Nik!_ " a female voice cried out from behind them, volume seeming to rise with each word. "You bring some  _floozy_ here after being gone for nearly three weeks."

Caroline's eyes widened at the words, color draining slightly from her face as she turned around to see a blonde stomping back into the house. " _That_ would be Rebekah," Klaus sighed as he reached out for Caroline again, running a soothing hand up and down her arm.

"Come on, lovebirds!" Kol called out to the two of them before popping back into the house.

"It's not too late for us to head directly to our place, sweetheart," Klaus pointed out but Caroline shook her head. That would only delay the inevitable meeting that needed to take place. These people were part of her family now; she wasn't about to run from them, no matter how tempting it might be to do so.

They headed hand-in-hand into the Mikaelson place, Klaus wincing as his sister's voice reverberated through the halls. "He brought some random girl home for his homecoming celebration! After all the hours I've slaved over this…"

"I would hardly count an hour as slaving away, Rebekah," Elijah could be heard commenting as they continued on inside.

"Where's my welcome home cake?" Kol piped in before the sound of a smack could be heard.

"You can have Nik's. He obviously doesn't deserve it if he's so concerned about some trite little plaything instead of how much I missed him," Rebekah continued to moan and Klaus had enough of the insults she was so carelessly throwing around.

"I suggest you stop referring to Caroline that way," Klaus ordered as they entered the sitting room that had been tastefully decorated for his return.

"Oh so you remember her name?" Rebekah replied, offering up a nasty smile to Caroline. "Don't get used to that. He'll be calling you by something else after a week.  _Tops._ "

The urge to break away from Klaus and hightail it out the door strengthened with every little barb thrown her way, his thumb brushing gently against the back of her hand helping to keep Caroline in place beside him. "You might want to lay up on the insults," Kol mock whispered as he eyed the cake that had 'Welcome home Nik' iced perfectly across it. "After all, that's no way to greet your new sister-in-law."

" _Excuse me?!"_ Rebekah shrieked while Elijah sputtered out something that sounded close to the word 'what?'. Caroline rolled her eyes at Kol's deliberate revelations while Klaus looked ready to clobber him upside the head, her grip on his hand the only thing keeping Klaus from doing so.

"Niklaus, surely you did not," Elijah started while Rebekah let out a string of incomprehensible sounds as she looked between the two of them.

"Is there a reason for all of this noise?" Esther Mikaelson demanded as she walked into the room, causing everyone to quiet down. She stopped at the sight of Caroline, disapproval evident in her features. "Niklaus, I am certain that you could have dropped your  _companion_  off at your flat before returning home to greet your family."

This wasn't going at all how Caroline had thought it might. If anything it was turning out worse than she had dreaded the meeting might go and usually those kinds of fears were entirely unwarranted. "Mother, I'd like you to meet Caroline," Klaus replied, glaring one more time at Kol before looking at Caroline. His expression softened immediately, intent on making her feel at least a little at ease with him among the cluster of insanity that had just happened. "My wife."

Esther pursed her lips for a moment before briefly looking Caroline over. Usually she would have stepped forward to shake the woman's hand but the nagging voice in the back of her head told Caroline that really wasn't the best idea at the moment.

"How  _could you_?" Rebekah cried out, interrupting whatever the woman might have said. "Getting married without us there? I will never forgive you for this!"

She stomped out of the room, wailing dramatically as she left. "I'll deal with her," Kol offered, but was cut short by glares from everyone in the room. "Or just let her wallow in her own self-pity." He picked up the cake and headed over to Esther, kissing her cheek. "Lovely to see you, mother."

Esther patted his cheek and Kol left the room, turning briefly to make a 'call me' sign at Klaus and Caroline before disappearing around the corner. "I believe some explanations are in order," Elijah started, looking between the two of them with disbelief while Esther simply continued to look Caroline over.

"Leave us," she told Elijah, waving a hand at him. He nodded at the two of them before heading out of the room. She looked over at Klaus. "Why don't you go and soothe Rebekah's tantrums." She gestured over at the sofas behind them before taking a seat of her own. "I would like to get to know my new daughter-in-law."

Caroline froze at that, feeling like she was about to be left alone in a den full of wolves, but forced out a smile, relying on her years of training to win Miss Mystic Falls to make it look genuine. Even if she was a frazzled mess. "I hardly think now's the time for that, Mother," Klaus started but Caroline squeezed his hand, loving that he was ready to whisk her out of the house but she knew that wasn't the answer. That would only create more issues than their arrival had already.

"Go, see your sister." After all, wasn't meeting the family what she was supposed to be doing? So sitting down with her mother-in-law seemed to fit perfectly into that plan. "I'll be fine."

"I'll be right back," Klaus told her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He nodded at Esther and then headed off to wherever Rebekah might have ended up.

"Sit down," Esther prompted, motioning to the sofas again. There was no warmth to it, no real friendliness at all. Liz Forbes might not have been the most loving woman, not prone to outward displays of affection all the time, but Caroline had never felt this lack of emotion that she felt being in the room with Esther Mikaelson. Not even from Matt's mother when she'd been dating him and  _that_  woman hadn't had a single problem with voicing her distaste for Caroline. "I believe we have much to discuss."

"Considering your son just brought home a girl that he apparently married on a cruise I'd say so," Caroline tried to joke but it fell flat. Damn Kol for dropping the bombshell the way he had. Though Caroline wasn't sure there would have been a good way to exactly tell everyone, just anything had to have been better than that.

"How old are you? You're obviously from somewhere in the United States. I'd say east coast by your accent," Esther replied, ignoring what Caroline had said. "You met on the actual cruise then? Not as some tourist at one of the destinations he bothered to head out and visit?"

"I'm eighteen and I'm from a small town in Virginia. And yes, I was on the cruise," Caroline confirmed, watching as a young woman brought in a tray of tea and biscuits. "I didn't actually want anything to do with him at first." That brought a small smile to her lips as she remembered their initial meeting and the annoyance he'd caused.

"Were you one of the workers?" The disdain in that last word had Caroline arching a brow. Obviously that would have mattered to Esther Mikaelson.

The young woman offered Caroline a cup but she politely declined it, not wanting anything in her hands. "No, I was a passenger."

That seemed to put Esther at ease just a little though Caroline wondered what the woman would have said if she'd been confirming her question instead. Esther asked the woman to retrieve something for her before looking back at Caroline. "We'll need to figure out a game plan on introducing you to society. Make sure you meet the right families, make the right friendships," Esther informed her and Caroline couldn't help but scrunch her nose at that, listening to the woman continue on. "There are a number of wives of some of the firm's main contenders for you to strike up luncheons with. I'll have you help with the gala we'll be having in two weeks to benefit the children's hospital. That should work perfectly with getting you out there."

It was all stuff that Caroline wouldn't have minded doing but something about the way that Esther was telling her instead of offering up suggestions sent up warning flags in Caroline's head. She had a feeling if she didn't put her foot down now and carve out her own way of doing things that her life would become an endless parade of activities that this woman deemed necessary. Caroline Forbes was no pushover so that would  _not_ be happening.

"I'm sure I can fit one or two of those into my schedule if you can give me the dates. But my plan for the immediate future is to look into colleges out here so that I can continue my education," Caroline replied, suddenly wishing that she had taken the offered cup. "Plus it seems like getting to simply know all of you might be a bit more important than being introduced to society right away."

Klaus' family was important to him and it was obvious that they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Caroline wanted an opportunity to fix that.

Esther waved her hand though and Caroline felt as if she was being scolded. It reminded her a bit of how her grandmother had dismissed her dog from her lap. "The surest way to become better acquainted with Elijah is through social ventures with those related to our firm. He's a busy man who you will not see otherwise. Niklaus will also be expected to be at any events planned in its name and as his wife you'll be expected to be there as well. As for Rebekah, it will be same. She helps me with the arrangements for the various functions that help with charities and other endeavors that we take part in."

"Then I'm sure I'll be attending some of them along the way. But like I said university is a priority of mine so it'll have to work around that." She hadn't worked her ass off to be valedictorian of her school or planned so many activities to just give up on that path. College was one of the things she'd always agreed on with her mom and she wasn't giving it up.

Klaus entered the room again before Esther could properly respond but from the way his mother was pressing her lips together it was obvious that she didn't like Caroline going against her way of doing things. "Rebekah has been soothed for the moment," he informed them as he offered Caroline a hand to help her up from the couch. "But we should head out now before Kol causes another outburst."

"I'll see you both for dinner on Wednesday and brunch on Sunday then," Esther placed her cup of tea down and stood. "And Caroline, dinner is held promptly at six if you would like to join us whenever Niklaus has to work late."

Klaus leaned over and kissed her cheek. "My times of staying late at the office are over, mother."

Esther's eyes narrowed at that, lips thinning briefly before she smiled at the two of them. "I'll have Gertrude send you a list of all the dates for functions and people to meet, Caroline. I'm certain Rebekah will enjoy helping you find an appropriate dress for the gala. Niklaus knows where to find his tux."

Caroline smiled, thankful for all of her Miss Mystic Falls training. "I'll be sure to let you know which I'll be able to attend."

The two of them headed out to the car, Klaus opening the passenger door for her. "Already working on functions with my mother? I thought you were going to be focused on finding a university?"

"Well, she's trying to get me to do a whole bunch of them but I let her know that figuring out my education and getting to know your family was kind of a bigger priority." She sank down onto the seat, grateful that Klaus didn't actually live with them.

"Good. I want you to do what  _you_  want, Caroline. Not what my mother wants." Klaus squeezed her hand as he slid onto his seat before buckling up.

"I just want them to like me," Caroline murmured, looking back at the Mikaelson estate as Klaus drove away.

"They will once they get to know you. They'll love you as much as I do," Klaus assured certain of that fact. How could anyone not love her?

Caroline smiled at that, even though she was quite as certain of that fact as he was. She just needed to chock this up to a bad first meeting and work to make sure the next one would go perfectly. But for now she'd focus on her first night with her husband in London.

* * *

**Present**

Horseback riding with her father had been  _very_ different than when she did it with her mother. Back in California they just wore jeans and shirts with various sleeve lengths depending on the weather, plus whatever pair of sneakers she'd bothered to throw on that day. But with Klaus, Charlotte quickly learned that she had to wear actual riding gear like she had seen on TV shows once or twice. Plus there hadn't been any roaming through the hills while happily chattering away. Instead there were various structures for them to try and jump their horses over.

Luckily she'd gone over this with Lizzie at camp and while she wasn't as daring as her sister was with the jumps, she'd managed okay enough to pass. It had been an opportunity to share with her dad, another memory made, and really in the end that was all that mattered.

"Anything in particular that you want for dinner tonight?" Klaus asked as she took the stairs up to their townhouse two at a time. "Pizza is out of the question at the moment. You know the rule about having it more than once a week."

Charlotte laughed at that, loving that her parents had the  _same exact rule._  "I dunno." She stopped at the top step and swayed on the balls of her feet as she grinned at him before opening the door. "What do you want to eat tonight, daddy?"

She paused, sniffing the air as they stepped inside. Something smelled  _delicious_ though she was wondering who was in their house. Sometimes Bonnie or her Grandpa Stephen would come over to cook back at home in California, but she was at a loss for who might show up at her dad's place to do that.

"I believe I said I had the weekend," Klaus started with a sigh as Kol peaked out from the kitchen.

"It's Sunday night. Everyone knows that means the weekends over. Besides I made Thai," his brother retorted with a sly grin before focusing on his niece. "Hey, my little Kollita!"

Charlotte laughed at the nickname before moving toward him. They fist bumped before making their hands move through the air with a 'whooshing' sound to accompany the move. It was something that Lizzie had apparently started to do with him as their special greeting. Apparently it also annoyed their grandmother to no end.

"Proper names, Kol, or you're out," Klaus warned though it was different than how he'd been with Elijah. This time Charlotte could tell that his tone was teasing. There was no anger behind it this time. His phone started to ring and Kol grinned at him while placing his hands on his niece's shoulders.

"Might as well just answer it, Nik. You know they'll just keep calling and I believe Lizzie has a no phones at the table rule," Kol pointed out and Charlotte nodded at that. She had the same rule back in California. That way work had to wait and she could relay her day to her mom.

"I won't be more than ten minutes," Klaus promised her before looking at Kol. "No candy before dinner. That includes ice cream, milkshakes and anything else your brain might think up." Klaus smiled at her before heading up the stairs to his at home office.

"My brother, such a stick-in-the-mud," Kol sighed dramatically. "He was nothing like this with your…" Charlotte's eyes widened at that, wondering if he'd been about to mention her mom to her but Kol shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "Did you enjoy yourself in the states? Break a few hearts. Swindle a couple bucks."

"That's what  _you_ do, Uncle Kol," Charlotte reminded with a giggle as she followed him into the living room. "But I did have…quite a bit of fun." There, that sounded like something Lizzie would say. "I made some lovely friends."

Kol nodded as he sank back onto the couch and placed his feet up on the table for a moment, moving them off as she gave him a stern look. Her mother  _never_ let anyone put their feet up on the table. "I did win some cookies playing poker," Charlotte added which had Kol leaning forward with a big smile. Actually Lizzie had won them off of her and Charlotte knew that her sister had learned how to bluff from the man in front of her. She's learned from her grandpa but Charlotte couldn't deny that her sister was better at it than her.

"Chocolate ones?" Kol asked as she sat down beside him.

Charlotte gave him a look. Those were Lizzie's favorite kind. She preferred vanilla ones. "As if I'd use my special skills for anything less."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two cookies from his coat pocket and put his finger to his lips as he grinned conspiratorially at her. "Don't even think about it!" Klaus shouted from upstairs and Charlotte fell back against the couch laughing.

"How does he always know?" Kol wondered, shaking his head.

"Cause you always get quiet when you're being devious," Charlotte told him as she pushed herself up. "I'm gonna go set the table."

"Video game tournament after dinner," Kol told her and she nodded, excited for the prospect of it.

"Prepare to be destroyed," Charlotte replied and then skipped off before he could reply.

She played video games with her Aunt Bonnie a lot so Charlotte was hopeful that what she'd learned could help her beat her uncle. Maybe they could convince her dad to play as well. Sometimes that worked with her mom, but Caroline Forbes was not good at all. Charlotte knew she only did it as a way to spend time with the two of them when they were in full-on tournament mode. She really hoped that her dad would be like that too.

* * *

**July 2004**

An eighteen year old American girl in London should have been easy enough to mold into the perfect wife for her son. It was obvious that Caroline had at least some sort of proper upbringing even if aspects of it were not at all conventional. But the simple things such as place settings and sitting properly were not something Esther needed to deal with. Finding out that the girl had orchestrated a number of her small town's festivals and coordinated some of the events was a definite plus. All of that was infinitely more than the usual riffraff that Klaus deemed to find interesting.

The initial meeting hadn't gone quite as planned, but Esther was certain that after a week of Niklaus being at work and the girl being on her own during the day that she would come fumbling to the family home for some guidance. After all, by Caroline's own account she hadn't been anywhere outside of her small Virginian town outside of the cruise trip and some brief trips to Virginia Beach with her fathers.

The girl should have been lost as to how to operate the London society, how to deal with the city life that she had been suddenly thrust into, and wanted guidance from the few people that she was acquainted with.

_Unfortunately,_  it seemed that Caroline Forbes blossomed under pressure and was figuring it all out on her own. She made contacts easily enough, learned the neighborhood that Niklaus' flat resided in, and even mastered the public transportation system.

She had expected the girl at the garden party luncheon earlier that day but it seemed that Caroline didn't quite understand that her 'I hope to see you there' spiel meant that it was a required event. Not that the girl ever seemed to show up to any of the events that Esther deemed necessary to show her off to the correct people.

Perhaps it was time to have another talk with the girl to ensure she understood what her role was to be. Niklaus needed a wife who would help him rise in his profession, who would meet the right people and grease the right wheels. Not one who rode around on the buses and attended university to pursue a career that she wouldn't even be able to partake in with the number of events and social engagements that would need to be planned.

Phone calls were not her desired means of communication but Esther couldn't say for certain where precisely Caroline would be at the moment and didn't feel like delaying the needed conversation.

"Hi, this is Caroline," the girl greeted, the background noise letting Esther know that her new daughter-in-law was indeed still out and about.

"We missed you at the luncheon today," Esther started as she looked out at the workers moving about to put the chairs and tables back into storage.

"The enrollment process took longer than expected. I did say that it might do that and I wouldn't be able to attend this one. I emailed my notes from what you wanted me to look into though in the morning just in case," Caroline replied, and Esther's lips thinned at the lack of steadfast apologies. "I even emailed them to the rest of the group so that they would have a chance to peruse them as well. Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Saunders already emailed me back a few suggestions on where to go for a few of the items."

"Being part of this association means that you can't just attend when you please, Caroline. Meetings are a requirement," Esther started, wanting to drill that into the girl's head. "These women are the wives of the men Niklaus works with. They will see your flightiness with attendance as a sign of weakness and inform their husbands about that. In turn, your reputation will reflect poorly on Niklaus."

How could the girl not see that? Esther had not done all she could to ensure her son's success for it to falter now because of his choice in women. The others had been easy enough to deal with, none of them a fixture in Niklaus' life, but this one he had married and Esther saw the way he looked at Caroline. She knew that look. Her son was in love and the girl obviously loved him back but that didn't mean she was good for him.

"Which is why I didn't think my being part of the association was a good idea yet," Caroline reminded. "I thought it'd be better for me to get a feel for London first and ensure I had a spot in my university before taking on any other tasks."

"If attendance at university is becoming such a problem already then perhaps it's best to put that off for a few years," Esther started.

"That's not an option. Klaus and I've discussed this and we are both intent on me starting this fall semester," Caroline interrupted. "It might not be how you would like things to go and I'll make more of an effort to attend some of the other functions that you've got going, but my education is important to me and it's important to Klaus."

Esther fumed at that, hating that the girl had gotten Niklaus to agree to such a stipulation. He had grown up in this society; surely he should have realized that his wife's education was something that could wait a few years so that she could make the proper connections first. It would be different if she had grown up with the rest of them as Rebekah had, already well connected, but Caroline was starting from scratch.

"We'll finish this conversation at dinner tonight," Esther replied, knowing face-to-face would be better to continue.

"Klaus has to work late tonight."

"Then there's no reason for you to not to show up now, is there?" Esther pointed out, waving off the maid who had come into the room to tell her something.

"I'm actually bringing dinner over to the office for his whole team so I won't be able to make it. I thought it'd be a nice way to bond with them all. Help them get to know me."

"Of course you did," Esther drummed her fingers along the windowsill. "Then I'll see you Friday for our dress fitting."

"Can't wait. Have a lovely evening," the girl added before hanging up the call.

Esther placed down her phone before scowling at it. Caroline was proving to be a lot harder to mold than she'd ever thought she would be and that would not do at all.

* * *

**Present**

It wasn't that Lizzie didn't  _want_ to spend time with her Aunt Bonnie; it was more that she had really wanted to spend another day with just her mom. But there had been a lighting disaster at the Gibson wedding that needed immediate attention and Caroline hadn't wanted to drag her along.

"It really won't be anything interesting, sweetie," Caroline had told her and Lizzie knew that was true. It wasn't like she'd be able to follow her mom around and watch her work. She'd probably be put in a corner and be expected to play around on the iPad or read a book while her mom got everything settled. Lizzie would have been fine with that because she would have simply sat back and watched Caroline slip through the group of people, content to listen to her mom's voice giving orders.

But she could understand why her mom would think that she wouldn't want to do that. It was obvious that her aunt came over when the emergencies happened to hang out with her sister and that Charlotte loved spending time with her. And Lizzie was supposed to  _be_ Charlotte right now so she really couldn't fault her mom's plan.

Plus hanging out with her aunt Bonnie would definitely have its advantages. This was one more person who had known her mom her entire life and had maybe even met her dad before. Maybe her aunt would be able to give her another piece of the puzzle about why her parents had broken up. Also, from what Charlotte had told her, Bonnie wasn't anything like her aunt Rebekah so that could be a lot of fun too.

Lizzie loved her aunt but there was only so much shopping she could tolerate in one day. Plus inevitably being with Rebekah meant she'd see her grandmother and while she also loved her grandmother, seeing her in small doses was a good thing. Especially if there was a gala coming up as Esther Mikaelson always wanted to review how proper young ladies were supposed to act.

"So what are we gonna do, kiddo?" Bonnie asked as she plopped down onto the couch beside her. "Want to get out of the house or soak up some sun in the pool?"

Lizzie scrunched her nose as she weighed her options. "What shall… _will_  we do if we leave the house?"

Bonnie arched a brow at that. "Ice cream. The park. We could hit up the nature trail and see if we can find any new butterflies fluttering about."

"I think doing all three would be…great!" Not lovely. Charlotte would definitely not say lovely.

"Get your shoes on and we'll make it happen." Bonnie was already up and grabbing her purse and Lizzie grinned, slipping on ballet flats before following her out to her jeep.

Twenty minutes later and they were finishing their cups of ice cream as they walked down one of the nature trails in the neighborhood. It wasn't something she often did back in London. They went to one of the parks quite often but trails with the beach off to one side and tall trees to the other wasn't something she was used to.

It was nice though. The weather was infinitely better than in London and Lizzie couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like to walk with both her parents and with her sister down the trail. She could almost picture her mother and father holding hands, looking happily at one another while she skipped ahead with Charlotte looking for ladybugs along the path.

She listened as Bonnie told her about some of the different plants that they found, laughing along with her when she recounted how her Grams would use some of them as herbal remedies. "Mommy lived with you and her, didn't she?"

"After her mom died," Bonnie murmured as she collected another specimen to go over in class.

"Why didn't she live with my grandpas?" Wasn't that what was supposed to happen?

"Because we only had a few months left of high school and your mom was adamant that she finish it out where she started. I don't think either of your granddads had the energy to try and fight her on it," Bonnie shook her head, remembering the long argument that had led to after Liz's death. Caroline had won out in the end, bitterly using the fact that her father hadn't even been there when her mom had finally died.

"I wish I'd met her. Grandma Liz." She had seen the photographs of her in the house and wondered what she had been like. Charlotte had told her that their mom didn't really bring her up but Lizzie had seen Caroline smiling at the photos and spotted one of a younger looking Liz Forbes holding a little girl in her arms on her mom's bedside table. Lizzie couldn't help but wonder if she'd been named after her.

"You would have liked her," Bonnie told her as they continued walking.

They continued on down the path, stopping every so often as Bonnie told her about more plants and some of the insects that they came across.

"Why didn't mom ever marry again?" Lizzie asked, causing Bonnie's footsteps to falter. She couldn't quite keep her questions to herself any longer. "Grandpa did. Why didn't mommy?"

Bonnie's attention turned fully to her niece, the butterfly she'd been trailing after forgotten. "Not everyone does, Charlotte. You know that. You've got kids with just one parent in your class at school."

"But I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about my mom," Lizzie protested, kicking at the dirt as they deposited their cartons in the trashcan. "Is it cause she still loves him?" Bonnie looked curiously at her, obviously not quite sure what she meant. "My dad? Does she still love him?"

Because she had seen her mom's face when she talked about how they'd gotten engaged, seen her finger the necklace that held her rings after she washed the makeup off her face at the end of the day. People didn't do that if they weren't still in love, did they?

"Sometimes love just isn't enough," Bonnie told her with a sigh.

Lizzie frowned. She'd heard that exact same phrase from her Uncle Kol once. She hadn't liked it then either. "Why not?"

"Because it takes more than love for people to work out," Bonnie replied, watching her carefully. "But no matter what, never ever think that she doesn't love you, okay?"

"I know that," Lizzie told her, knocking her elbow against Bonnie's side before skipping ahead some. Except, no. Her mom loved Charlotte but she had left her behind. But then her dad loved her and he'd let Charlotte leave. It was a mess in her head and Lizzie was certain she'd seen flashes of sadness in her mom's eyes when she'd talked in the car with her about people who never got to have a mom. It had to be a sign that her mom thought about her and missed her. It just had to be.

"What brought these questions on though?" Bonnie asked, following after her.

"Mom told me about how my dad asked her to marry him," Lizzie told her as she hoped down some of the stones in the middle of the path. "It sounded  _really_  romantic."

"I thought so too when she first told me," Bonnie replied with a smile and Lizzie looked back at her.

"Did you like him? My dad?" she couldn't see why her aunt Bonnie wouldn't have.

"It wasn't your da…" Bonnie's voice trailed off, her gaze darkening for a moment. "I did. But come on, your mom should be done with fixing everything soon so why don't we go pick up some Mexican as a surprise dinner for her?"

That sounded like a good idea to Lizzie. "Race you back to the car!" she shouted and then sprinted off, enjoying how Bonnie laughed before following after her.

* * *

**August 2004**

Rebekah had to hand it to the girl; she was obviously persistent, but that persistence didn't mean that she would give in and welcome any kind of friendship with her new sister-in-law. Granted Caroline seemed to be far more interesting than Sage was, but that simply didn't make up for the fact that  _Nik_  had gotten  _married_  without her. It still stung months later that her favorite brother hadn't even thought about how that would hurt the rest of them— _specifically her_ —and had simply gone and done as he pleased.

Though that wasn't all that surprising for Klaus Mikaelson. He often did as he pleased, consequences be damned, but usually he at least thought of her feelings and when he hadn't he would apologize and give into her whims so that she'd feel mollified.  _That_  hadn't happened this time. She'd gotten one tiny apology, not even really worth mentioning, and then been told to basically suck it up and grow up.

Of course, that had only made her angrier and less prone to giving her new sister-in-law a chance.

Except that hadn't been working out in her favor. Her brother didn't take kindly to her trying to freeze out Caroline and it had become obvious that she needed to at least  _try_ and get to know the girl. If nothing else she would be able to help her out with her common taste in clothes. Caroline seemed to have an okay style but it was obvious that she wasn't used to actual designer clothes and that simply had to change.

"I need a bag that will actually hold my books and laptop. Not just look nice," Caroline pointed out as Rebekah held up the Louis Vuitton.

"So you're still venturing down that road?" Rebekah sighed dramatically and placed the adorable bag back down. It wouldn't have been practical but it would have been an excellent statement.

"Getting an education for myself? Yeah. I didn't go through all of that legwork to just give it up now," Caroline looked at a bigger bag, not as pretty as the other one but in Rebekah's opinion at least it still had the appropriate label.

"Yes, but you're pregnant now," Rebekah pointed out, motioning for the clerk to take the bag Caroline was looking at and add it to their order.

"I wasn't aware that would make it impossible for me to do things? The morning sickness—which let me tell you so  _not_  just a morning thing—will go away in a few weeks. I'd go crazy if I had to sit around and do nothing all day. I'm not built that way," Caroline explained, watching as Rebekah picked out a few more items that she wanted.

"You could always help mother with the gardening society and the rest of her endeavors." Then maybe she wouldn't be dragged into doing them. They were dreadfully boring.

"I'm doing one or two, just not all that she apparently wants me involved in," Caroline shrugged, before looking over at Rebekah. "And I wouldn't want to take away her time with you." Rebekah waved that off. "Though I think it's the time I get with Klaus that annoys you more than anything."

Rebekah turned toward her at that. "We're thinking of doing another wedding next summer. After the baby is born obviously so I can lose the weight I gain," Caroline continued, and Rebekah pursed her lips, wondering where the girl was going with this. "And I was thinking that you know this city way better than I do so maybe you could help me figure out how to plan it here?"

It was such an obvious ploy to try and get the two of them on the same page, a way for Nik to smooth over what he'd done, and maybe Rebekah should have held out longer but if she didn't help the poor girl out then it would be Elijah or worse  _Kol_  who would do it and that would be a travesty she could not allow to happen.

"I suppose if I can fit it into my schedule I could help with that," Rebekah replied, ignoring Caroline's small smile as they headed to the checkout and then parted ways.

She had a lunch appointment with her mother and headed toward the restaurant, unable to keep from smiling as she thought over all of the places to take Caroline to see for possible wedding locations. "I must say I didn't think I'd find you in such good spirits after your forced venture today," Esther greeted as Rebekah leaned down to kiss her cheek before taking a seat opposite of her.

"Nik and Caroline are going to do another wedding next year and I'll be helping the poor girl plan it," Rebekah replied, still giddy with the news.

"I wouldn't get too comfortable with that girl, Rebekah," Esther told her, and just like that all of the happiness seemed to deflate out her. "She won't be around that long."

That didn't make sense to Rebekah. It was obvious that her brother was very much in love. Anyone who saw the two fools together could see that. "But, mother," she started, quickly shutting her mouth at Esther's sharp look.

Rebekah knew that look well. It was one that brokered no argument and she knew better than to even try. Her mother's way was law, always had been and going against it never ended well for anyone. Caroline didn't seem like the kind of girl who could be bought off to leave though, not like that Tatia that Elijah had fallen head over heels for years ago.

Perhaps she should tell Nik but Rebekah was certain that her mother hadn't said such things to anyone else and would know that she was the one to speak up. She loved her brother, but he was off on his own, had his own job and his own money, while her trust was still wrapped up for years to come and she was not about to lose everything she knew for a girl that she only slightly liked. Besides, her mother could always change her mind. She had with Sage. Maybe she would with Caroline as well.

* * *

**Present**

Charlotte laughed as her father's race car veered off the road again because of the mushroom that her uncle sent flying at it. He hadn't been lying at all when he said that he was awful at the game but at least he was laughing as well, though he gave Kol a stern look when his brother threw some popcorn at him.

"See this is why you need a dog. So you have someone to pick up all the popcorn," Kol pointed out and Charlotte nodded, thinking that was very sound reasoning.

"That's why I have  _you_ ," Klaus nodded toward the popcorn still on the floor. "Person who creates the mess deals with the mess."

"Doesn't your housekeeper come tomorrow?" Kol complained as he moved to scoop up the kernels.

"And she'll wake you up at seven to pick it all up because Mrs. Swenson will know it was you who made the mess," Klaus reminded, lifting up his feet so that Kol could crawl under them to retrieve the last few pieces. Klaus dropped his feet down onto Kol, using him as a foot rest and causing Charlotte to erupt into another round of giggles.

This was what it was like to have a sibling around. It had to be. She knew there were also fights and teasing and arguments over who got to sit where, or so she knew from her friends who had younger and older ones, but this was what it would have been like to have Lizzie around always. Someone to talk to, to laugh with, to share things that she just couldn't with her mom…with her dad.

"So  _this_  is what you decided to do instead of attending Sunday brunch?" came a rather annoyed voice from the entry way.

Charlotte looked over, laughter dying away almost immediately as she spotted her grandmother walking into the room. Her lips were pursed together as she surveyed the scene, eyebrow arched as she set her bag down on an empty chair. Klaus set his feet back down on the ground and Charlotte didn't like how all of the fun energy seemed to disappear from the room. Though at least her uncle stayed on the floor, popping popcorn into his mouth as he looked up at her.

"Oh you know, mother, we decided it'd be nice to have some fun instead of boring old tea," Kol told her with an impish little grin.

Esther stared hard at him for a second before turning her attention to Klaus. "I thought you said none of us were to interrupt your weekend with her?"

"Kol listens about as well as you do to what I want," Klaus replied with a shrug.

"One of the few things we have in common, ignoring your requests," Kol sighed as he looked over at his brother, wagging his brows. "Gotta make sure people know we're related somehow."

Ignoring her younger son's antics was something Esther had perfected over the years and so she turned her attention to her granddaughter instead. "I hope that at least you'll be able to give me a warm greeting, Elizabeth."

It was so weird to hear that name used. It sounded even more formal than when her uncle Elijah had used it on her. What was so wrong with calling her Lizzie? It was obvious that her sister and father liked the name so Charlotte thought people should use it. She got up off the couch, faltering for a second because she wasn't sure how she was supposed to greet her grandmother.

If it was her Grandpa Bill or Grandpa Stephen she'd have hugged them tightly, been swung around by Grandpa Stephen and nearly hugged to death by Grandpa Bill while she laughed. But she didn't think hugs were supposed to happen with Esther. She just didn't give off any hugging vibes.

"It's lovely to see you, Grandmamma," Charlotte told her, giving a little curtsy. She at least knew that Lizzie called the woman that to her face.

Esther smiled at her and Charlotte took that as a sign she had responded correctly for the situation. "I'm pleased to see that a couple of weeks abroad haven't wiped away all good sense from you." She looked over at Klaus. "I expect her tomorrow morning for her lessons."

"It's up to Lizzie if she's going to you or if she wants to head out with Kol tomorrow," Klaus replied, the hardness in her father's voice startling Charlotte a bit. It wasn't like with Uncle Elijah but she could tell he meant business with the tone.

"What a choice. Insufferable lessons about what spoons to use or a trip to the zoo…" Kol lamented, moving his hands as if weighing the different options.

Charlotte would have much rather done just the zoo but she had a feeling that Lizzie would have tried to please her grandmother as well. "Could I do lessons in the morning and then the zoo in the afternoon?"

"At least the girl is reasonable," Esther remarked and patted Charlotte's shoulder.

"Is that what you want to do?" Klaus asked and Charlotte looked back at him, noting his concern.

"It is, Daddy." Maybe spending time with her grandmother would give her some insight into why her mother had left because Charlotte had a feeling the two would definitely not have gotten along well all the time.

He frowned, obviously not quite buying it, but nodded. "Kol will bring her over in the morning then."

"Perfect. I'm sure your aunt enjoy seeing you as well," Esther picked up her bag from the chair with a pleased smile.

"I'm surprised she didn't come down with you. Or is she out and about with her latest catch again," Kol piped up and Charlotte watched her grandmother's eyes narrow at him before she was all tight lipped smiles again. "That sister of ours might never settle down. But then why would any of us considering how hard it is to get Esther Mikaelson seal of approval. Even her children aren't guaranteed that."

"Kol," Klaus warned. Charlotte looked between the two of them, wondering what they were talking about.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully you'll have a better attitude by then," Esther told him before looking back at her granddaughter. "Have a wonderful night, Elizabeth."

"Time for bed," Klaus told her as soon as Esther left and Charlotte wanted to protest, wanted to ask what her uncle had meant but Klaus had already scooped her up, bringing out some much needed laughter. "You know, you do not need to do the lessons with her."

"I know, daddy," Charlotte promised. "But we'll only stay for a little while and then Uncle Kol and I will have fun together at the zoo."

He set her down on the bed and she scrambled under the covers as her dad nodded, though he still didn't look quite mollified by her answer. "I love you, little love."

"I love you too, Daddy."

She smiled as he kissed her forehead before heading for the door. "You get an hour for reading and then the light is going off," he told her and Charlotte nodded, smiling as he left the room. She waited until she heard him head down the stairs before pulling her phone off the dresser. It took a few minutes but she wrote out an email, asking Lizzie for some help on how to deal with their grandmother and what the deal was between her, her uncle Kol and their dad. Hopefully when she woke up she'd have some insight about them from her sister.

* * *

The nice thing about summer was that bedtime didn't need to be as strictly adhered to as there was no school the next day. So after a delicious dinner with Bonnie making their group a trio, Caroline had decided that it would be nice to head out to Charlotte's favorite park for an hour or so. She hadn't been able to spend as much time as she wanted with her daughter that day and while they could have hung out at the house, she wanted to go out and do something she knew Charlotte loved.

And the park was definitely one of those things.

Maybe it was the pirate ship play structure in the middle of the sand or the slides that seemed to be bigger and curvier than any other park that they had tried so far. Whatever it was, Caroline loved seeing Charlotte's smile as her daughter ran all over the place, partaking in every little adventure that was offered.

She sat down on one of the swings, loving the fact that there were less people as the sun started to set. There were still some couples walking dogs and a few other children running around, but it wasn't anywhere near as packed as it could get during the mornings and afternoons.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she ignored it for a moment, waving at her daughter who was getting ready to go down the biggest slide. Seeing Tyler's name on the screen had the effect of cold water being dumped on her. She hadn't talked to him all weekend, still hadn't given him an answer to his proposal, and Caroline knew she needed to figure out when and where to sit the two down to meet.

She let the call go to voicemail and pocketed her phone as her daughter came skipping over and sat down in the swing beside hers. "Char," Caroline started. "I need to talk to you about something. About someone."

"Okay, Mommy." Lizzie nodded, wondering who there was to talk about. Maybe she was going to tell her more about her dad.

"I want you to meet someone," Caroline continued, wishing she didn't feel as nervous as she was. This was supposed to be a good thing.

"Who?" Lizzie asked, starting to turn in the swing, wanting to be able to whirl around in it.

"His name is Tyler," Caroline told her and that had Lizzie stopping, not liking that name at all.

"Why do I need to meet him?" Lizzie asked, nose scrunching in worry.

"You know how I don't let you meet anyone I date unless I think it's serious?" Caroline continued and Lizzie froze, not liking where this was going at all. "This time it's serious."

"Why do you like him?" Lizzie asked, wanting to know what apparently made this Tyler guy better than her dad.

"Because…" Caroline sighed, trying to put it into words. The whole spiel she'd given Bonnie a few weeks ago just didn't sound right in her head anymore. Nor did she think the whole 'because I want you to have a dad' thing work either.

Lizzie let herself spin around, feeling a little bit of hope when her mom wasn't able to articulate herself properly. "I don't think I should meet him if you don't know why you like him!" she told her mom and then took off toward the slides again.

"Charlotte!"

Caroline watched her go with a sigh, wondering how her little girl could be so much smarter about these things than she felt in that moment. Why did she like Tyler? That was something she was going to need to think long and hard on because her reasons from before seemed hollow when her daughter was around.

Stephen's words echoed in her head and the weight of the ring hanging around her neck seemed to grow heavier. She remembered the feelings that had stirred all over again because of telling Charlotte about how she'd gotten engaged to her father, how that love still remained just beneath the surface, never quite able to be shed.

It didn't need to be an all encompassing love like she'd had with Klaus but she knew she should at least be able to explain why she liked the man to her daughter.

Tyler was stable, he was a good man, she thought he might be a good father, and he did make her feel happy and wanted and loved, but Caroline wasn't sure if that was enough, that it could really compete with the ghosts of her past that she couldn't quite seem to let go of, no matter how much she knew that she needed to.

 


	9. Chapter 9

" _The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly."—F Scott Fitzgerald_

* * *

**Present Day**

Charlotte had never been so bored in her entire life and she had sat through one of her Aunt Bonnie's lectures before. She was certain that she would take sitting through ten of them in a row if it meant she would never have to sit through tea time with her grandmother again. It wasn't that she didn't like the tea—it was okay—and the cookies or 'biscuits' were pretty good too, but she didn't care about flower arrangements or sitting with her legs crossed just so or a million of the other things her grandmother and Aunt Rebekah were discussing.

At least her aunt would look over at her and try to discuss things that were actually interesting, asked about her time at camp, and tried to make the conversation lively. Charlotte didn't know how Lizzie managed to do this weekly. It was slowly driving her insane but she tried to keep her legs crossed  _just so_  and to nod at the appropriate times. But she had always been fidgety and that wasn't about to stop now, not even with the sharp looks that Esther Mikaelson directed her way every so often.

"I was thinking that we might want to try something different for the fundraiser this year," her aunt started and Charlotte turned her attention toward her, wondering what exactly she was talking about. Lizzie hadn't prepared her for this at all.

"Nonsense," Esther replied before taking a sip of her tea. "We'll be following tradition and carrying out the dinner party and raffle that we've done every year. It's always a great success"

"But remember how much we managed to raise when we did that carnival theme," Rebekah protested and Charlotte picked up another biscuit. "Your mother actually was the one who—"

"There will be no more speaking about it, Rebekah," Esther interrupted and Charlotte watched her aunt deflate at that.

"My mother did what?" Charlotte asked, wanting to know what her aunt had been about to say.

"I already said that we were finished speaking about it, Elizabeth," Esther reminded before motioning for her to sit a little taller.

"But why can't we talk about it?" Charlotte asked, confused why it was a problem. Was talking about her mother a taboo? She didn't think she should be. "If it was such a success I don't see why you wouldn't want to try it again? Isn't that best business practices?" Because they seemed to really like talking about those.

Esther stared hard at her, no doubt expecting Charlotte to slink back as Rebekah had done but Charlotte simply stared back at her and munched away on her cookie.

"I must say that those few weeks you spent in the States seem to have caused you to falter in your training," Esther finally stated and Charlotte pursed her lips at that. "Do not worry we'll have the American back out of you in no time."

"I'm part American, aren't I? Cause of my mother?" Charlotte pointed out, trying to keep her legs from swinging slightly and her hands to remain tightly clasped together in her lap.

"Your mother left you, Elizabeth," Esther replied and Charlotte didn't like that answer at all.

"Mother," Rebekah started, obviously not liking the answer either, but Esther waved her off.

"She's not part of you at all anymore," her grandmother continued and Charlotte's hands balled into fists, hating what the woman was saying. "You are a Mikaelson and will behave as such."

"But that doesn't mean she's not part of me. She's half my DNA and Daddy says I have her smile." And that had to mean something. Charlotte also knew that Lizzie had a laugh like her mom's, they both did and that couldn't just be erased. "She's not just erased cause she's no longer here. She's still my family."

"She's no more your family than the groundskeeper we had two years ago is," Esther snapped, clearly not liking her granddaughter's reasoning. "She wasn't Mikaelson material and you'll do well to remember that."

"That's enough!" Rebekah butted in and Charlotte looked over at her, pleased that Esther seemed so shocked by her daughter's outbursts. Rebekah turned to her, her look no doubt meant to be reassuring. "Lizzie, why don't you go and collect your jacket so that we can meet Uncle Kol?"

Charlotte nodded and pushed herself up off the couch. "We're not finished with our tea," Esther told them, standing as well but Rebekah was already ushering Charlotte from the room. "Sit down and let us finish our conversation like rational adults.

Rebekah motioned for Charlotte to head toward where her jacket was hung before turning back to her mother. Charlotte grabbed her light jacket but stayed near the doorway, keeping just out of sight so she could hear the conversation. "How could you say such things to her?"

"Everything that I said was the truth," Esther replied and Charlotte narrowed her eyes, her opinion of her grandmother dropping with every word.

"Everything you said was hurtful and out of line," Rebekah told her and Charlotte played with the buttons on her jacket, wishing her aunt would hurry up. "What do you think Nik will do when he hears what you said to her?"

"I see no reason for him to hear the details of our tea time." Charlotte tried not to snort at that. Did her grandmother actually think she wouldn't say anything to her dad about this? She stepped back though when Esther walked out of the room and headed toward her. "I hope you do remember that we Mikaelsons do not engage in idle gossip, Elizabeth."

"My name is  _Lizzie_ ," Charlotte held her chin up, tired of the way her grandmother kept saying her sister's name when she knew Lizzie didn't like it.

"Go get Kol, Lizzie," Rebekah urged her, nodding toward the grounds in the back where her uncle must have been.

Charlotte nodded, wanting nothing more to do with her grandmother in that moment. "You do this to yourself," she heard her aunt mutter to Esther before the doors closed behind her and she focused on finding Kol, not caring what else was said between the two women.

She hugged her uncle tightly when she saw him and Kol hugged her back just as tightly. "Hey hey, you're okay," he promised with a sigh as he brushed her hair. "What happened?"

"Mother being herself," Rebekah replied, revealing that she had followed along but at least it didn't seem like Esther was there as well.

"I think we'll have to make sure we have ice cream while at the zoo, huh?" Kol asked as he pulled back a little to look at his niece.

Charlotte nodded, wiping at tears she didn't even realize she'd shed. "Yes, please." Anything that could help her forget the awful things that woman had said.

* * *

**February 18, 2005**

"We need to call Klaus," Caroline protested as the housekeeper helped her move down the steps where Esther was impatiently waiting. Her water had broken and the contractions were getting closer together. At least she had been able to convince the woman that it was time to head to the hospital but now she needed her husband.

It wasn't like he was out of the country. He was just at trial and Caroline  _knew_  that was important but it didn't outweigh the importance of their daughters being born. And she knew Klaus agreed with that. Hell, didn't the royals take a break from doing important things to show up at the births of their own children?

"Absolutely not," Esther chided before continuing to order about the staff for what needed to happen while they were at the hospital. She looked back at Caroline who was nearly at the door. "You know as well as I do that he's in the middle of the trial. We're not interrupting him."

Caroline tried to control her breathing, to stifle the overwhelming urge to freak out that was surging through her. "But he needs to be there for their birth." She knew he would want to be. "He'll never forgive himself if he's not." She had talked about it with him over the last few weeks with the trial steadily approaching and Klaus had been adamant that he was to be alerted no matter what he was doing.

Elijah had agreed and so had Esther to his demands but it seemed that Esther had only been saying that she would. It didn't surprise Caroline one bit, she knew where the woman's priorities lay but she  _needed_  her husband by her side for this. The family image because of some damn trial was the last thing on Caroline's mind while she knew it was the first in Esther's.

"You've done more than enough already, Caroline," Esther snapped, turning to finally face her. "I will not allow you to ruin this for him as well."

Caroline glowered at the woman as Esther turned away, going back to ordering around her staff. She wished she had grabbed her phone but in all of the chaos it had slipped her mind to do so and it was all the way upstairs now. She would never be able to get it as she was ushered out to the car.

Esther sat down in the back, opposite from her, not offering any kind words or comfort as Caroline was helped into the seat. Rebekah burst out of the house, the packed suitcase with what might be needed in her hand, and headed right for them. As soon as she was in, Esther tapped on the glass, alerting the driver that he could leave.

Rebekah took Caroline's hand, squeezing it gently. "I texted Nik to let him know," she assured her and Caroline closed her eyes, thankful that at least Rebekah had seen to his wishes.

"You foolish girl," Esther snapped, and Caroline imagined the look being directed at her daughter, knew that it was anything but pleasant. Most likely it was the one Esther used to show she was displeased with whatever one of her children had done. It was a look that usually had them caving to her whims.

Caroline could feel Rebekah tense at her side, her voice showing her confusion. "But it's what he wanted," Rebekah protested, surprising Caroline as she squeezed her hand again.

"Niklaus hardly knows what's best for him anymore," Esther murmured, and Caroline forced herself not to respond to that, even if  _you don't know what's best for him_ kept echoing in her head.

Instead she focused on her breathing. She needed to worry about her babies who were inching closer to coming into the world and making sure they knew how loved and special they were. She would not allow Esther Mikaelson to be the first thing they saw, would not allow her words to be the first sound they heard. She would make sure that their lives were filled with the love and laughter she had known as a child, not the rigid schedules that Klaus and his siblings had endured.

Klaus had said they would be getting a new place, one just for the four of them and she hoped it happened soon. The sooner that they were out of the Mikaelson Manor and away from Esther the better. Caroline didn't think she could handle the stress of that woman along with taking care of two newborns all at once. Dealing with Esther while on bedrest had been hard enough but at least the woman had left her alone most days. Though the silence she had endured during those long stretches when Klaus was at work had been difficult.

But she wasn't going to focus on all that had happened. She was going to focus on her little girls who were going to be welcomed into the world soon and do everything in her power to love them.

"We're almost there, Caroline," Rebekah assured her, and Caroline squeezed her hand, thankful that the girl seemed to be on her side in that moment. She could never tell with Rebekah but at least for now her sister-in-law was there when she needed her.

Klaus would be there soon and they would welcome their daughters into the world together, just as they wanted, no matter what Esther Mikaelson might think was best.

* * *

**Present Day**

Lizzie had never thought she would be one to like fishing. It sounded  _boring_  and the thought of hooks getting caught on defenseless fish just didn't seem appealing at all. Apparently though it was something that Charlotte did a lot with Grandpa Stephen while her mom was at work during the summer.

It turned out that fishing was  _a lot_  more fun than any kind of lessons with grandmother. Plus they didn't use hooks, just fishing poles with lines that never caught anything. But there was a picnic basket full of delicious foods and a butterfly net to try and catch different bugs with. Not to mention her grandfather who Lizzie was coming to find out was  _hilarious_.

He told the best jokes that she had ever heard, even better than her Uncle Kol's, and he seemed to know a lot about the different bugs like her Aunt Bonnie did which was neat too. The best part though was that he seemed to know a lot about her mom and Lizzie had a feeling that she could get him to tell her some things about what had happened ten years ago to cause her mom to leave London.

She just needed to play it cool like she had done with her aunt and mom so far, try not to get too much information all at once, but ease into it so the adults told more than they ever meant to. Plus it meant she got to spend more time with him and that was just fine with Lizzie.

"Did you go fishing with mom a lot when she was little?" Lizzie asked as she swung her feet off the short pier, letting her toes touch the water below.

"Only a few times here and there at the lake house back in Virginia," Stephen told her with a smile. "She scared away all of the animals though. Bit of a chatter box, that one."

"I was wondering where I got it from," Lizzie teased, happy that she got a laugh out of him. "Did you ever go fishing with my dad?"

"Never had the opportunity to do so," Stephen set the fishing pole down. "Only met him a few times. Once after your parents got married. Then after you were born. Then. Well. That time doesn't matter much."

"Why not?" Lizzie stopped swinging her feet and looked over at him, curious as to know what he meant.

"It was after the divorce was finalized." Stephen looked back out at the water and Lizzie had a feeling that was all he'd be saying on that subject.

"Did you like him? My daddy?" She knew that not everyone did and that was okay because people couldn't like everyone they met. She really hoped that her kindhearted grandpa had liked her father though.

"At first I was livid with him for marrying your mother," Stephen told her with a sigh.

"Mom told me they got married on a cruise ship without any of you knowing," Lizzie informed him as she set down her pole and picked up the loaf of bread to feed to the birds. "You wanted to be there at the wedding, didn't you?"

"I would have preferred it that way." Stephen tugged a bit of bread off and tossed it out to the water. The two watched as a few ducks came swimming over to fight over it. "But your dad was a good man, Charlotte. I could tell that he loved her and treated her well. And that's all that mattered to me."

"But if they loved each other then why did they get divorced?" Why couldn't any of the grownups explain that part to her? It didn't make any sense.

"That's something only your mother can really tell you," Stephen told her and Lizzie nodded. She had a feeling that would be the case and as much as she didn't want to make her mom sad, maybe it was time to get answers from her mom again. "But enough about that. Your grandpa Bill is going to be sad that we're not catching any fish."

"Do we ever actually catch a fish?" Lizzie pointed out as she nodded to their hookless lines.

"No." Stephen grinned. "That's why we'll stop off at the fisherman's market on the way back to pick up something fresh."

"Don't you think he knows that we don't actually catch the fish?" Lizzie giggled before tossing out more bread to the birds.

"Oh he knows. But he loves me enough to go along with the ruse," Stephen informed her with a gentle nudge to her shoulder.

Lizzie grinned at him, enjoying this kind of quality time a lot more than the tea cups and finger sandwiches that she was used to taking part in.

* * *

**April 2005**

Stephen had been there when Liz Forbes had died. He had held Caroline tightly as she cried for the loss of the person she had loved most in the world, for the unfairness of life to take her mother from her when she was still so young and had so much of life to share with her. It had been heartbreaking to watch the teenager sob her heart out when Liz' heart no longer held a beat and her lungs no longer took a breath. But nothing compared to the absolute wreck that seemed to be his daughter once they had arrived at the hotel room.

The divorce was finalized, custody arrangement tearing a family right down the middle in a way that no one had expected, and that they couldn't contest. Bill was dealing with passport issues for the baby who was somehow sleeping in the hotel crib that they had managed to get sent up while Stephen held onto Caroline as she sobbed against his shoulder.

He wasn't even sure that she was breathing at some points because of how often she kept gasping in between her sobs. Her whole body quaked against him, the light that usually filled his daughter seemed to have been extinguished, leaving behind a mess of limbs and tears that he wasn't sure how to comfort.

Words were useless in that moment and so he simply held her as he had done when she was younger and had fallen from a tree at her dad's lake house. She had been more scared than anything that day and Stephen wondered if the fear of the unknown was part of Caroline's tears tonight as well.

He couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to be leaving part of her behind though, to only have one of twin daughters be allowed to leave the country, while the other was to stay behind.

"We're going to fight this, Caroline," Bill assured from where he stood, still on hold with the embassy. "They are not going to take your daughter from you."

"You don't have the influence here," Caroline murmured against Stephen's shirt and while that was true, Stephen knew that his husband would do whatever he could. Caroline said something else but Stephen couldn't quite make it out. She'd spoken too softly, her words drowned out by her own sobs, but he thought it might have been a 'she does' but couldn't be certain.

"I'll do whatever I need to do, sweetheart," Bill continued adamantly. "This can't be allowed to happen."

It was like something snapped inside of Caroline though at that moment. All of her grief stricken cries were replaced by a fear that Stephen had never seen in her before. "We need to just go. She'll…"

"Caroline?" Stephen placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

"You don't know what she can…" Caroline shook her head, still not quite making sense and Bill looked over at Stephen. "She'll destroy….she can't…I can't…I need to…"

"Sweetie, you can't what? Who will destroy? Destroy what?" Stephen asked, trying to get to the heart of what was going on.

"I need to call..let me call…he doesn't," she tried again and Stephen looked over at Bill, wondering if he was able to decipher their daughter's words at all. "I don't…"

Caroline brushed at her tears, still shaking her head as she tried to calm herself down but nothing seemed to be working and Stephen wondered if the sleeping pills they had gotten prescribed for her might be a good idea for her to take then.

But Charlotte woke with a cry and Caroline headed right over to her, gently sweeping the baby girl up and holding her close to calm her. "It's gonna be okay, little love."

"Caroline, what happened?" Bill asked, handing the phone off to Stephen to hold as he slowly moved toward his daughter and granddaughter.

"Daddy I messed up so badly," she cried, letting Bill tug the two of them into a hug, Charlotte protesting the action with another cry.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie," Bill assured, loosening his grip a little so Caroline could adjust the baby in her arms.

"It's not. It's really not," Caroline murmured as she pressed a kiss to her daughter's head, knowing that Charlotte was probably missing her sister just as much as she was right then. She pulled away from her father to rock Charlotte back to sleep, holding tightly to her daughter as she willed herself to stop crying. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Stephen eventually took Charlotte from her, setting the baby back down in the crib while Bill got her to take some sleeping pills, hopeful that would help Caroline get the rest that she definitely needed.

"Did you get anywhere with the embassy?" Bill asked once Caroline was finally lying down.

"We'll have a passport for Charlotte in the morning. The rest we'll have to deal with once we're back stateside," Stephen sighed knowing it wasn't the best course of action but it could take weeks if not months to get the custody arrangement overturned and he didn't think sticking around London would be good for Caroline.

"I'll make some calls to a few lawyers I know," Bill reached for his phone, ready to begin but Stephen shook his head.

"We need to get some rest so that tomorrow we can be ready to help Caroline pick up the pieces." Their little girl was going to need all the help she could get and Stephen knew that they would be better help if they were rested as well. She deserved to have the two of them in top form, not awake because of countless cups of coffee. "We'll call tomorrow."

Things had to look better in the morning.

* * *

**Present**

Kol hadn't quite gotten out what exactly had transpired back at the Mikaelson Manor out of either of them, but from how downcast his niece had looked and how livid his sister had Kol knew that his mother had said something awful. There wasn't much that could make Lizzie tear up like that, only one topic that the little girl usually steered clear from because of past experience, and it angered him to no end that she wasn't able to ask about her mother without it turning out like that in his family home.

He wanted to erase whatever had happened, to make sure she had a great day at the zoo, but made a mental note that he needed to say something to Klaus. Experience had shown that Lizzie wouldn't utter a word about it to Klaus, instead keeping what had happened to herself. Rebekah was usually no better and Esther would continue to do as she wanted, whenever she wanted. It was a cycle that needed to end for his niece's sake.

Kol watched as his niece tried to imitate the flamingos they were looking at, standing on one leg like the birds did. Rebekah was off getting them each a milkshake to enjoy and he was trying to figure out the best thing to say. His usual comedic relief just didn't seem appropriate at the moment.

"This is so cool, Uncle Kol," she told him, and if he didn't know better he might have thought she hadn't ever been to the zoo before. Considering they had been there at least twice a year since she was able to walk that couldn't have been the case. "Are there peacocks?"

"Are there peacocks?" Kol arched a brow at her. "You're asking like that's not the last exhibit you drag me to every time we're here."

"Oh!" She looked confused for a moment before smiling brightly. "Just wanted to make sure that you remembered is all. Because it'd be a shame if we missed them."

"As if you'd ever let me hear the end of it if we did miss them," Kol laughed, remembering the one time it had rained and they hadn't been able to see those damn birds when she was five. She had pouted around the house for days before he'd taken her back to just see those animals.

"I think I would need a lot of pizza to deal with my disappointment." She grinned at him. "We probably gotta get back to the carousel before Aunt Bekah wonders where we are." It was a good plan but she started off in the direction that definitely didn't lead that way and he steered her around.

"Might want to head this way then so we actually make it to the carousel and not the bug exhibit." Kol shook his head. "Sometimes I swear it's as if you're someo…"

She stopped in front of him and a ten year old shouldn't be able to look as wise as she was in that moment. "As if I'm what, Uncle Kol?"

"Nothing, kiddo," he assured, even if he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he'd been getting over the past hour or so. It was the same one he'd gotten during playing video games with her when she hadn't quite remembered the levels they had done countless times before or when she'd picked the yellow frosting instead of the purple that she usually chose. That this was Lizzie but it wasn't, almost as if it was Charlotte but that was  _impossible_.

"Almost as if I'm someone else? As if I'm Charlotte?" she continued and Kol stared at her, wondering where she had even heard that name. No one talked about the other little girl. What were any of them supposed to say about her? How would they have even brought her up?

"How do you…" Kol didn't know what to say to that but he was kneeling in front of her in seconds, trying to see the truth in her eyes, in her nose. The exact same as Lizzie's but there was something a little different about her. Not quite the same knowledge, definitely more slouching than Lizzie had ever done. "Charlotte?"

Could it really be her?

His niece nodded and it was like time stood still for a moment as he simply stared at her, not quite believing it. And then time started again and Kol hugged her tightly. He could remember the last time he had held her; a little two month old infant who had been crying because her diaper was wet and Caroline had been in the middle of changing Lizzie. He'd managed to calm her down while she waited for her turn before falling asleep almost right after she had a new diaper on.

He had seen a photograph of her that one time in the airport but it wasn't anything like breathing the same air as her, as actually being able to hug her all over again. "But  _how?"_  he asked, pulling away slightly to get a better look at her.

"We met at camp and figured it out. Lizzie wanted to meet mom and I wanted to meet dad," Charlotte told him as she brushed tears from her cheeks, smiling the whole time. "And you. And everyone else. Though I don't like grandmother."

"Not many do, Charlotte. Char? What does your mom call you? Can I call you Kollita?" Kol asked, causing her to laugh at his rapid-fire questions.

"You're gonna have to call your own kid that, Uncle Kol," Charlotte told him as she wrinkled her nose and it was his turn to laugh.

"I can't believe you're here," Kol murmured as he stood, still taking all of her in.

"I can't either," Charlotte took his hand. "But Lizzie and I really wanted to meet them and we really wanna know why they broke up. Cause I know mom still loves him and I can tell that daddy still loves her."

Kol sighed at that. How was he supposed to explain any of it to his niece when he couldn't even stomach doing so for his brother? Deflection might help? "You know you're going to have to let him know soon, right?"

"After I figure out how to get the two of them back together I will." The determination in her face reminded him so much of Caroline in that moment.

"Well. I think I might be able to help you out with making a plan," Kol mused. It would be tricky. There was a lot that would need to be hashed out but if it meant his mother didn't win in the end and that the girls did, then he was all for helping out.

"I thought I could count on you," Charlotte smirked; a look that was all Klaus' and Kol grinned back.

" _There_  you are!" Rebekah called out, making her way over to the two of them with a tray of milkshakes. "I was afraid I was going to need to trek all the way to those flamingos to find you."

"We don't go there until it's time to leave, Aunt Bekah," Charlotte assured her as she took the offered drink. Kol offered up a conspiratorial grin over Rebekah's shoulder before taking his own drink and tossing the unneeded tray into the trash. "Let's go see the lions."

"Alright then, if that's where you'd like to head next," Rebekah smiled gently at her and Charlotte smiled back, taking hold of her hand as they started to head toward that enclosure.

Kol followed after them and couldn't help but wonder how Lizzie was fairing with Caroline and her side of the family. Somehow he didn't think they were as harsh as Esther could be and he hoped that his niece was enjoying herself while he began to formulate the beginnings of a plan on fixing what all had broken ten years before.

* * *

The trouble with summer vacation was that Caroline was usually swamped with work because countless people had a variety of functions that her company helped plan and carry out. But all that Caroline wanted to do was spend a ridiculous amount of time with her daughter. Her mother had always been swamped with work during the summer months as well. The lack of school always meant that the teenage population of Mystic Falls became more rambunctious than usual, causing problems and throwing keggers in various parts of the woods that the sheriff's department would always break up. Caroline had hated having to spend her summers at her friends' houses instead of doing fun things with her mother like all of her friends seemed to do.

She didn't want that for Charlotte and so she had swiftly instituted that she only came in so many days a week once Charlotte was finished with her camp activities. Those days she did work were full of long, hard hours but it paid off to have days at a time that she could spend freely with her daughter. Getting certain customers to understand that had been difficult at first, but Caroline had smartened up after Charlotte's sixth birthday and made sure to put all the details down in any contract she signed.

Caroline might have loved her event planning company but Charlotte would always be her number one priority.

Charlotte was with Stephen for the day, giving time for some grandfather-granddaughter bonding, and Caroline was knee deep in color swatches, trying to find the perfect shade of 'ivory' with her current client. The problem with white was there were entirely too many shades of it and each fabric company seemed to differ greatly in what they considered to be ivory or pearl.

"Are any of them jumping out at you for the tablecloths?" It wasn't the most daring color choice, but it would go well with the vibrant pink centerpieces that had already been picked out.

"This one," the young woman told her and Caroline wrote down the sample number for ordering. "Thanks so much for going through them all with me. Who even knew there were so many types of ivory?"

"Be thankful you didn't just say 'white' then we would have been at this for hours," Caroline informed her with a laugh, causing her client to chuckle as well before leaving.

Caroline sank back against her office chair after having sent off the order for twenty tablecloths in that exact color. One down, eight more to go for the day and that was barring any emergencies that might happen for the birthday party that was happening that evening.

A knock at her door caused her to look up, eyes widening slightly at the sight of Tyler Lockwood standing in the doorway, roses in hand. "Hey there, beautiful," he greeted and headed on into her office, closing the door behind him.

She saw her assistant behind the glass doorway mouthing a 'sorry' and smiled at her, letting her know that it was fine. "Hey you," she greeted back, knowing that she really couldn't avoid him forever.

Tyler rounded her desk to hand her the roses before kissing her. She kissed him back, trying to ignore Charlotte and Bonnie's words, all of the doubt that had begun to sink in the last few days. Or well, the doubt that had always really been there but that she had only just allowed to have a voice and be heard.

"So when am I meeting this daughter of yours?" Tyler asked, placing the vase of flowers down on her desk before leaning against it to continue their conversation. "Pretty sure that was the stipulation for you accepting the ring that's burning a hole in my pocket."

_I don't think I should meet him if you don't know why you like him_ , kept ringing in Caroline's head. It was easier to think of reasons with Tyler standing in front of her. He was a great guy, stable, made her laugh, and she thought she might love him. She felt for him more than she did for any other guy she had dated after the divorce but it wasn't like she'd had with Klaus. Caroline didn't think anything would feel like that again though. How could it? But did that mean they couldn't be happy together?

"I was thinking you could come over for dinner on Friday and meet her," she suggested with a smile. Maybe seeing Charlotte around Tyler would help her figure out exactly what to do about the whole situation because if Charlotte truly didn't like him then there really wasn't much a reason to continue on with the relationship. But if she did then maybe they could be a family, not quite the one Caroline had dreamed of all those years but a family just the same. "What do you think?"

"I can't wait," Tyler grinned and Caroline found herself smiling back, even though the weight on her shoulders only seemed to intensify. "Anything I should bring? What does she like?"

"Just bring yourself. No gifts required," Caroline assured him. "It's just an initial meeting and dinner so you guys can get to know one another."

"So there will be more meetings?" Tyler frowned at that. "How many until you know if you'll say yes or not?"

"I don't know," Caroline sighed, knowing this must have been frustrating for him but this wasn't just her life that she'd be changing. It was Charlotte's and she had to put her daughter's best interests first.

Tyler nodded, smiling pleasantly once again. He leaned forward to kiss her one more time before heading back to the door. "I'll see you both on Friday then."

"Can't wait," Caroline replied with a smile as he left before sinking back against the chair once the door closed. There wasn't any time to think about any of it though as her assistant popped in, letting her know that her next client had arrived. All Caroline could do was make a mental note to let Charlotte know about Friday dinner and hope for the best.

* * *

**February 18, 2005**

Klaus headed into the maternity ward, trying to find any of sight of his family and upon not seeing them he went straight to the nurse's station. "Caroline Mikaelson. I'm her husband. I was told that she was here."

Thank god for Rebekah. He couldn't believe that no one else had bothered to try and call to let him know that Caroline was in labor. Elijah could handle the case without him. He wasn't about to miss out on the birth of his daughters. His mother had  _promised_ and yet she hadn't been able to pick up the phone to text him even though she had certainly been able to do so earlier that morning when reminding him about dinner plans for that night.

"Nik!" Rebekah called out and Klaus turned around, spotting his sister near the doorway in the back. He didn't like how pale she looked, the frantic worry that seemed to settle all over her as he headed to her.

"What is it?" Klaus asked, a million terrifying scenarios already flashing through his head.

"She's okay but they have to do a C-section because of how the babies are," Rebekah explained and Klaus nodded, wanting more than ever to know which way he needed to head to be with Caroline.

A man in scrubs was off to the side talking to his mother and Klaus headed over toward them, ignoring Esther's scowl at his presence. "Mr. Mikaelson. Your wife will be very happy to know that you made it," the doctor told him with a smile. "If you'll go with the nurse right there they'll get you washed up and put into scrubs so you can join us."

"Go back to the trial, Niklaus," Esther butted in. "Rebekah and I have this. Caroline is fine. The babies are fine. We'll let you know when they're born."

Klaus simply stared at her, wondering if she had lost her mind. "I'm not leaving, mother." How could she possibly think that he would? Hadn't he told her countless times that he wanted to be there for his daughters' birth? What would it take for her to understand that?

"You're needed at the courthouse," Esther reprimanded as she followed him as he made his way toward the nurse. "Think about your future."

Couldn't she see that he was? "I'm needed  _here_  with  _my wife_ and  _my children_ ," Klaus snapped thankful that she wasn't permitted to follow him to get scrubbed up and changed.

Caroline's relieved expression when she caught sight of him as she lay on the table, waiting for the C-section to begin, was all the proof he needed to know that he had picked the right choice.

An hour or so later and Caroline was sutured back up and in an actual maternity room, the pain medication doing its job as Klaus sat on the bed holding one baby while Caroline held the other. "They're so small," Caroline murmured before looking up at him. "I can't believe we made them."

"They're perfect,' Klaus told her as he smiled down at her. "Just like their mother."

A knock at the door had Klaus turning around to see Kol and Rebekah in the doorway. His younger brother was holding a ridiculous amount of balloons while Rebekah held two small pink bears. "Can we come in?" his sister asked and Klaus looked back at Caroline who nodded.

"I suppose so," Klaus replied with a grin as he nodded for the two of them to enter.

Kol tied the balloons off to a chair while Rebekah set the bears down on the small table, looking anxiously at the baby in Klaus' hand. He carefully handed her over to her aunt while Kol ever so cautiously took the baby that Caroline was holding. "Kol has Charlotte and Rebekah you have Lizzie," Klaus informed them as he reached down to hold Caroline's hand and give it a squeeze.

"Charlotte Rebekah Mikaelson and Elizabeth Rebekah Mikaelson," Caroline sighed happily, noting how Rebekah's eyes lit up at their middle names. "We thought you'd like that."

"Where's mother?" Klaus asked, finally noting that Esther hadn't shown up with them. Caroline squeezed his hand at that.

Rebekah looked away, obviously not wanting to be the one to say anything. "Oh you know mother. The show must go on. She's at her dinner party," Kol replied with a shrug and Klaus frowned for a moment, before pushing his disappointment down.

Nothing was allowed to ruin this perfect moment with his family. Especially not his mother.

 


	10. Chapter 10

_Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces. –Richard Kadre_

* * *

**Present Day**

Dinner with  _Tyler_.

It couldn't happen. Lizzie didn't know  _how_  she was going to stop it but she knew it was a bad idea. Obviously her mom wasn't head over heels in love with the guy if she couldn't really list the reasons why she even liked them to her but the fact that she still wanted to have her meet the guy was so not a good sign.

She'd heard her aunt and grandmother back in London saying things about how her father needed to settle down and get her a mother so maybe her mom was hearing the same things about how Charlotte needed a father. Maybe this was her mom's attempt to try and make that happen.

Lizzie didn't like it one bit but she didn't know her mom all that well yet, she was still learning so much about her. There was one person who knew her really well though and should have some answers.

Talking to Charlotte was a big risk, especially with Bonnie downstairs working on grading papers and the time difference to London, but it was one that Lizzie knew she had to take. She sent off an email letting her sister know they had an emergency and needed to talk ASAP, thankful that Charlotte didn't take long to reply and suggested FaceTime so they could hash everything out.

She set up the iPad so it was facing away from the door to her bedroom as she waited for Charlotte to connect. "Mom wants me to meet some guy," Lizzie blurted out as soon as Charlotte was on the screen.

" _What?_ " It was a relief to see her sister's disbelief at that. "She's never made me meet any guy before."

"I know!" Lizzie sighed as she tried to remember to keep her voice low. "But now there's apparently some guy named Tyler that she wants to have come over for dinner with us."

" _Ugh_." Charlotte made a face, clearly not liking that name. "I know she went out on some dates with a guy with that name but I didn't know it was serious."

"What's serious?" Lizzie heard her Uncle Kol ask and she ducked, trying to hide from the iPad's view.

"It's okay, Lizzie. Uncle Kol knows," Charlotte assured her and Lizzie shifted back into place, seeing her Uncle over Charlotte's shoulder.

"Hello, Uncle Kol," Lizzie grinned at the surrealness of seeing her sister by him. It was like looking in a mirror or at a photograph but she knew that it wasn't her sitting by him.

"It seems my devious ways have transferred well to you, my little Kollita," Kol grinned back, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "But what's this I'm hearing about some guy Caroline wants you to meet?"

"It doesn't make any sense Uncle Kol. She still wears the wedding ring on a necklace. I've seen it," Lizzie frowned. Grownups were seriously confusing. "Why did they get a divorce?"

It was the one question that she hadn't quite managed to ask anyone but Lizzie knew that if anyone would be truthful that it would be her Uncle Kol. He never lied to her. He was always honest, even when he knew the other adults might not like him to be.

"I don't know," Kol shook his head while Charlotte frowned beside him. "I wasn't here when that went down. I only came back after your mother had left with Charlotte. No one even told me what was happening until it was too late."

"Do you think that Esther could have had something to do with it?" Charlotte asked and Lizzie shook her head. Her grandmother could be a hard woman to understand but surely she wouldn't have done anything.

"She can be rather difficult to deal with at times," Lizzie started and Charlotte scoffed at that.

"Understatement of the century, Lizzie!" Charlotte interrupted, and Lizzie pursed her lips, not quite sure what to say to that. "She said really nasty things about our mom." Kol squeezed her tight at that and Lizzie watched as Charlotte took a deep breath, clearly upset by whatever their grandmother had said.

"Your grandmother has a…twisted way of showing love for people," Kol told them and Charlotte nodded at that. Lizzie couldn't dispute it. Sometimes she didn't understand the woman at all.

"This all so complicated," Lizzie bit her lip, unsure what to do.

"We need to learn more," Charlotte told her and Lizzie nodded.

"I'll try to ask Aunt Bonnie some more questions. They're best friends so she must know something," Lizzie reasoned. Surely out of anyone their mom would have talked to Bonnie about everything. Or maybe Grandpa Stephen.

Charlotte nodded. "Good idea. If anyone knows anything it'll totally be her."

"Bonnie Bennett?" Kol asked, brows arching at the name. "I remember Caroline talking about her a lot. We never met though. Kept missing each other when she did visit."

Lizzie knew that look. It was his 'I'm interested in this woman' look. She'd seen it quite a few times when they were out together. "She would eat you alive, Uncle Kol," Lizzie replied causing Charlotte to laugh while Kol gave a dramatic gasp.

"Okay, you talk to Aunt Bonnie and I'm gonna let Daddy know about what Esther said," Charlotte told her and Lizzie hesitated for a moment at that before slowly nodding. "What?"

"Does Daddy really need to know? It's not right to gossip." Hadn't she been told that since she was small?

Charlotte opened her mouth to say something but Kol beat her to it. "If someone is saying hurtful things—even if she's your grandmother—then it's definitely something your dad needs to know, kiddo." Lizzie could see the worry in his eyes, the unspoken ' _has she said mean things before_ ' that seemed to pass between the two of them and Lizzie didn't want to answer that so she simply nodded.

"Alright. It looks like we've both got our assignments then," Lizzie offered up instead. "Let me know how it goes."

"I will. Give Aunt Bonnie and mom a hug for me," Charlotte needed that to happen. As nice as it was to be able to meet her dad she really was missing her mom.

"Give Daddy one for me. And Uncle Kol too since he's there and all," Lizzie grinned at him. "I miss you."

"Miss you too," Kol promised and the feed cut out.

Lizzie leaned back against the chair and sighed, needing to gather her thoughts before she went to speak to her aunt.

* * *

**February 2005**

The trouble with twins was having only two hands and that meant she could only change one diaper at a time, leaving the other baby girl to cry helplessly in her crib while Caroline tried to hurry up. The pain from her C-section had faded a bit, but her movement was still severely limited and she was under strict doctor's orders not to hold anything heavier than her babies for the next few weeks.

"I know, sweetie, I'll be with you in just a second," Caroline promised as she finally managed to fasten the onesie back onto Charlotte. She picked her up and put her back into the crib, bottom lip trembling slightly as the baby started crying at the loss of contact as she moved to pick up Lizzie.

Klaus was at work and Rebekah away for the weekend, leaving only Esther and her workers around. Though they only ever seemed to show up to help out any when Klaus was actually at the house, keeping up appearances that they were allowed to. Caroline had seen the apologetic smile the housekeeper had given her when Esther had glared at the woman, ushering her away from the nursery when she'd come up to try and help that first time. It wouldn't surprise Caroline at all if they had orders not to help out unless Klaus was home.

Rebekah had been an asset until suddenly she was expected to be away for some function that she hadn't known about but Esther insisted was important and couldn't be missed.

Caroline smiled down at Charlotte, brushing her daughter's cheek soothingly before moving Lizzie over to be changed.

"It seems you're doing as splendid a job destroying your children's lives as you've done with my son," Esther commented from the doorway and Caroline breathed in at that, forcing her smile to stay in place as she looked down at Lizzie. "They're going to have abandonment issues with how often you leave them to cry."

"I only have so many hands," Caroline replied, working to keep her voice calm. "You could always help by comforting her right now."

"I do believe that's your responsibility," Esther told her as she moved to stand near the crib but didn't pick the crying baby up. "You're their mother."

"And you're their grandmother." Something Caroline wished some days wasn't so. How was her mom dead while Esther Mikaelson was alive? She might not always have gotten along with her mom but she knew her mother would have loved her daughters. That her mom would have held them and laughed with them and nurtured them in ways that Esther seemed incapable of.

She placed the diaper in the diaper genie and picked Lizzie back up, moving over to the crib so that she could smooth her fingers down Charlotte's face again, offering what comfort she could. "If you're not going to be of any help then I'm sure you can find something else to do," Caroline offered, thankful that Charlotte seemed to be soothed by her hands.

"How  _is_  feeding them going?" Esther asked, and Caroline stiffened at that, hating that the woman knew all of her insecurities and could pick up on them so easily.

She had wanted to breast feed them, had planned on it, but that apparently wasn't in the plans considering she was barely producing any milk. "Just fine, thank you."

"It's such a gift to be able to breast feed them," Esther continued. "A true mother-child bond comes that way. Something it seems you'll never know. Shouldn't really be all that surprising, you could barely carry them inside of you so how could you possibly bear the responsibility of doing so now."

The sound of someone coming up the stairs was the only thing that seemed to stop Esther from continuing and Caroline turned, thankful to see Klaus coming through the nursery doorway. He headed right to her, kissing her softly before looking down at Lizzie in her arms and pressing a kiss to her tiny forehead. He picked up Charlotte next, doing the same to her before nodding at his mother.

"And how are my girls today?" he asked as Caroline finally sat down on the rocking chair. She had been up too much on her feet and the pain was beginning to spike a bit.

"What are you doing home?" Esther asked, glancing over at the clock. It was early, far earlier than he'd ever come before. "Aren't you supposed to be in court?"

Klaus ignored her though, instead focused on the way Caroline had winced when she'd sat down. "How long have you been moving?" he asked as he rocked Charlotte gently, her tiny eyes beginning to close.

Caroline shrugged, trying to make light of it. "We were fussy today."

Klaus frowned. "Well, I'll be able to help out more now that the case is finished," he told her and Caroline smiled at that, though she couldn't help but glance at Esther who was watching the two of them. "We might want to think about hiring someone to help out too."

"Don't be ridiculous, Niklaus," Esther butted in. "There's more than enough people here to help her out without you wasting your money like that." Caroline snorted at that. If only they actually were allowed to help. "But the case is over? What shall we have for your celebratory dinner? Lamb again? We usually have lamb when he wins."

Caroline was already aware of that fact but chose not to comment on it, her focus back on Klaus who wasn't looking at all like he did after winning a case. Usually he would come in and swoop her off her feet or already have champagne in hand for them to pop open. Maybe he'd changed how to boast about it because of the babies but his frown had her doubting that was what had happened.

"We didn't win," Klaus told them and Caroline reached out to grasp his free hand, squeezing it gently. "There's always next time." He squeezed her hand back before looking down at Charlotte. "Besides, there are more important things in life than winning cases."

It should have been the sweetest thing he had ever said and perhaps if Caroline hadn't seen Esther standing behind him, glaring daggers at her, with the woman's words echoing in her head it might have been. "Looks like they're both out now," Klaus continued and headed over to the crib to place Charlotte back down before moving to take Lizzie from her. "How about I order us some pizza and you relax for the next hour before these two wake up again?"

"Shouldn't you be heading back to work to delve into the next case?" Esther butted in but Klaus simply shrugged.

"It'll be there in the morning, mother." Klaus placed Lizzie down and helped Caroline stand. "Pepperoni one?"

"That sounds good to me," Caroline replied, letting Klaus help her back into their room.

"Niklaus," Esther started but he shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips, nodding toward the sleeping infants.

"I already sent my team home for the day, mother," Klaus reasoned and she shook her head.

"You used to be so involved, so focused," Esther told him. "Have you forgotten that this is what you've always wanted? To be the best? To be The Wolf? You're just going to throw that all away?"

Klaus rolled his eyes at that and Caroline headed to their bathroom, needing to take some of her pain pills while the two talked. "Losing one case is hardly throwing it all away. You're being dramatic," Klaus replied, sounding amused and Caroline knew that wouldn't go over well with Esther.

"Losing one shows them that you're human, it ruins the reputation that you've created," Esther replied, and Caroline sighed at that. "How many more will you lose as you turn your focus elsewhere? You should be at work. She should be here maintaining her responsibility over the children."

"She's in pain and moving around more than she should be," Klaus replied and Caroline downed the pills and some water to wash them down, hearing the fury in his voice. "I am not Father. I will not be Father. My priority is my family, mother."

"You have a funny way of showing that," Esther scoffed and Caroline caught a glimpse of the woman's furious expression before she left the room, slamming the door behind her.

The loudness woke the twins and whatever Caroline might have wanted to say to Klaus was pushed aside as they headed to calm the girls back down. "I love you," Caroline told him, seeing the stress he was feeling in the tightness of his shoulders, in the way his lips were pressed together as he rocked Lizzie in his arms.

"I love you too. All of you," Klaus promised and Caroline nodded.

She would deal with Esther's slights and the lack of help the woman offered. He had enough to shoulder already and she wasn't about to add to that burden. She just needed to get more organized and figure out ways to handle two babies at once better. That was all.

* * *

**Present Day**

Bonnie flipped the grilled cheese over, making sure to get both sides of the bread as evenly cooked as possible. This was the preferred lunchtime ritual for whenever she was Charlotte's sitter. Grilled cheese or peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Today had seemed like a grilled cheese kind of day.

"It smells really delicious, Aunt Bonnie!" the girl told her as she sat down at the kitchen island, swinging her legs as she waited for lunch to be ready. "Should we have oranges or grapes with it today? I think oranges because we've got two left and there are two of us so it's the perfect number."

Bonnie laughed and looked back over her shoulder at her. "Sounds good, kiddo." It would never cease to amaze her how much that girl sounded like her mother had when they were younger. The constant chatter was something she had missed when Caroline had been overseas.

Bonnie placed the grilled cheeses onto plates and sat down beside her goddaughter, watching her peel the oranges for the two of them. "Why did mommy leave my daddy?"

It was a question that Bonnie hadn't been expecting and she froze at it, not quite sure how to even answer that. She knew that it was an inevitable one for the girl to ask at some point. What kid didn't want to know that answer when one of their parents weren't in the picture. "Charlotte…"

"She still wears his ring, Aunt Bonnie. When she told me things about him it sounded like she still loves him very much so why did she leave?" How could she be anything but truthful when the ten year old was looking at her so earnestly?

"I don't know," Bonnie told her, knowing it wasn't the answer the girl wanted to hear. She couldn't blame her for that.

"You're her best friend. Surely she would have told you something," Lizzie insisted, it didn't make sense otherwise. Who else would her mother have told?

Bonnie looked away, not sure she should even be telling her what she was about to. "Your mom was really sad when you two first came out here to live with your granddads. They tried not to push her to tell them anything that happened," Bonnie started and Lizzie nodded, hopeful that she would continue. "Eventually though we all wanted to know what had happened so we started asking a little harder. Your mom would…do you know what a panic attack is?"

Lizzie shook her head. "Like an asthma attack?" A boy at school had one of those once.

"Sort of. It can be hard to breathe, her heart would beat really fast and she would get really scared," Bonnie told her and Lizzie bit her bottom lip, not liking the sound of that at all. "So we stopped trying to figure it out. Even now she still gets a little frightened when someone brings it up to her."

"So I shouldn't ask her?" Because Lizzie didn't want to make her feel scared.

"I think out of everyone you might be the one person she could handle talking to about it," Bonnie replied with a small smile. Caroline's focus would be on making sure her daughter was feeling safe and okay so maybe her own fear wouldn't be allowed to overwhelm her like it did when others asked. But Bonnie remembered that first year, how Caroline's sole focus had been on Charlotte and little else. She'd barely spoken unless it was to the baby. Even leaving the house had been an issue for the first couple of months. It had taken a while for her to be anything close to the girl that Bonnie had known before she'd gone to London.

Lizzie nodded. It did seem like her mom was the only one with answers really. She would have to bite the bullet and ask her.

"So who were you face timing with?" Bonnie asked, steering the conversation in another direction.

Lizzie arched a brow at that. "It isn't nice to snoop Aunt Bonnie?" she told her before taking a bite of the grilled cheese.

"I was coming to see if you wanted ice cream after we eat lunch," Bonnie leaned over and tapped her nose before narrowing her yes. "We've had the discussion about not talking to strangers on the internet, right?"

"Many times," Lizzie replied. Or well, she thought they probably did. It seemed like a conversation they would have had with Charlotte. She knew her dad had with her. She tilted her head as she looked at her aunt. Uncle Kol now knew and was apparently being a big help for Charlotte. Maybe it'd be a good idea to get her aunt to be her helper there. "And anyway it's okay. I was just talking to my sister."

Bonnie nearly choked on her water at that and coughed as she worked to get it to go down the right way. "What?"

"My sister," Lizzie told her as she put her sandwich back down. "Twin sister actually. But you knew that."

Bonnie shook her head, not quite believing what she was hearing. "We met at camp," Lizzie explained, watching her aunt process everything that she was saying. "Actually, Charlotte is in London right now. She wanted to meet Daddy and I wanted to meet mummy."

She looked away, not quite sure she wanted to see Bonnie's reaction to that part, but Bonnie's hands were on her face, turning her back to face her. "Lizzie?" Bonnie whispered, tears welling in her eyes as she looked her over. "Oh my god."

Lizzie didn't know what to do, what to say so she simply nodded. Bonnie was off her stool in an instant and hugging her tightly and Lizzie hugged her back. She'd never gotten to meet this one as a baby, only seen the photograph that Caroline had of her holding tiny Elizabeth when she was a few weeks old. But there she was in the flesh, in Caroline's house and  _oh_ —

"You have to tell your mother," Bonnie started and Lizzie nodded. She knew she needed to but not yet, there was still stuff she needed to learn. She needed to stop whatever was happening with this Tyler guy.

She needed to figure out how to get her parents back together.

Maybe it was a silly fantasy, one that wouldn't come true, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try. "I will," Lizzie promised. "But first there's some things I need to do."

Bonnie frowned at that and pulled back to study her. "Like what?"

"Find out why they divorced for one," Lizzie told her. She had a feeling the answer to that would be a big stepping stone into having any kind of actual happy ending.

"Okay, and after that?" Bonnie asked, and Lizzie shrugged. She had no idea.

"I don't know exactly," Lizzie leaned against the island. "But my Uncle Kol always knows what to do in nearly any kind of situation so I'll ask him and then tell you…"

Bonnie's frown only deepened at that. She'd heard enough stories from Klaus and Caroline about Kol Mikaelson to know that whatever schemes he might come up with would be  _terrible_. "I'm not sure that's the best course of action."

But Lizzie already had her phone out and was dialing his number. "Hi Uncle Kol," she greeted and Bonnie shook her head. Caroline might not have raised her but this was definitely her daughter. Some of the mannerisms weren't quite the same, but reflected what she remembered of Klaus. The stubbornness was a nice mix of the two of them and she saw it in Charlotte as well.

"He'd like to talk to you," Lizzie told her, breaking Bonnie from her thoughts. She held the phone out to her and Bonnie took it.

"Hello?" Bonnie arched a brow at Lizzie who had turned back to her grilled cheese to finish eating.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the infamous Bonnie Bennett," Kol greeted and Bonnie rolled her eyes at his accent.

"Pretty sure you're the infamous one," Bonnie replied, walking away from Lizzie so she could talk to him without the girl overhearing too much. "You have to know that this is a dangerous game. Playing on the hopes of children of divorce. Over half of them just want their parents back together and it rarely every happens." It was setting up everyone for some severe heartbreak.

"Just think though this could be that one in a million where they do," Kol countered and Bonnie shook her head, not quite ready to believe that. "Charlotte tells me that her mother still carries around that wedding ring and I know that Klaus does as well. Not to mention the fact that it's been ten years and Caroline's only now having a man meet her daughter? Klaus hasn't let Lizzie meet any of the women he's sporadically seen through the years either."

Bonnie didn't reply to that, still not thoroughly convinced. "They're going to have to meet again no matter what, Bon Bon," Kol continued and she wrinkled her nose at the nickname he'd just come up with. "The girls are going to need to be switched back. We'll just also be pushing for a little adult reunion as well. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Broken hearts all around?" Bonnie pointed out and she could practically hear Kol waving off her answer through the phone.

"Or a happy ending for all," Kol replied. "Try to be a little more optimistic."

Bonnie bristled at that. She was plenty optimistic but she wasn't an idiot either. "You're not being realistic. This isn't a Disney movie. There's no guaranteed happy ending before credits roll."

She could hear him humming on the other end of the phone and found herself wanting to reach through it and hit him upside the head. "I'll have Charlotte give me your number and we'll chat details while you're not near prying little ears," Kol replied.

He hung up before she could let him know not to do that and stared down at the phone in disbelief for a moment before heading back over to Lizzie. "Daddy says that Uncle Kol is a funny guy," Lizzie told her as she took back her phone.

"That's one word for it," Bonnie muttered and Lizzie laughed. "But eat up so we can go and get some ice cream before your mom gets home and you have to talk to her."

Lizzie nodded at that, trying to ignore the way her stomach flip flopped at the inevitable conversation with her mom. She really hoped she wouldn't be mad.

* * *

**March 2005**

It was a day Esther Mikaelson had never thought would come to pass. Klaus had lost a case. She had feared it, in the back of her mind had always known it was a possibility, no one could win every one that they tried. But her son had been  _so focused_ , so career driven before that damn cruise that he'd been sent on with Kol. It had been a way of getting Kol out of their hair for a few weeks, a last hurrah for her youngest son in hopes that he would stop his messing about. He might have graduated college but it was by a hair that he'd even passed and he was still flitting about in Europe and the USA, doing god knows what with his trust fund.

That was enough to drive Esther mad but at least Niklaus had been on the path she'd been carefully engineering for him since Mikael's death. He'd wanted to study art but she'd shown him that following in the family business and being a better lawyer than his father ever had been was the way to go. He was on a successful path, feared by nearly all as an opponent in the UK courts. It was a lucrative business, one that bolstered their family name, earning them back the rights and privileges Mikael had squandered in the years before his death.

But it was all turned upside down by the slip of a girl who he'd brought home with him.

And now those babies, product of a union that Esther would never be able to accept, were causing his focus to stray even more so than usual. It was a mess and Esther Mikaelson didn't like those.

Klaus was away for the weekend on a business trip and while the nanny he'd hired to help Caroline with the twins was supposed to be around, Esther had already fired the poor girl and sent her on her way. The rest of the staff was away as well, Rebekah off on another retreat, and Kol out of the country as well. Elijah was with Klaus and that meant there would be no one around to overhear the conversation that Esther was about to have with Caroline.

"We need to talk," she told Caroline as she entered Klaus and Caroline's room. She smiled as she watched Caroline take the pills for the pain she was still feeling.

"I need to try and call the nanny right now. She's twenty minutes late" Caroline replied and held up her cellphone.

"Don't bother. I already fired her." Esther smiled as Caroline placed the phone down, impressed that she wasn't even a little shocked by that news. "The staff is all gone for the weekend as well. A holiday gift from me." She watched as Caroline faltered back a little, no doubt the effect of the pills she had switched out earlier in the day. "You might want to sit down. I hear those can have quite the effect on a person."

Caroline swayed backward, latching onto the nearest chair to sit down. "What did you do?" she demanded, and Esther could see the panic start to take over.

"Did you know that your children are citizens of the UK, not the USA," Esther started as she sat down in the chair across from her, watching as Caroline's gaze darted toward the nursery. "Oh don't worry, they're perfectly fine but you, my dear, are not. There are two ways for this to play out. One, I call my friend who works at the hospital down the road and I have you carted away there, kept heavily sedated and locked away from your children for the rest of their lives. I'm sure Niklaus will take them to see you every other weekend or so for a while but he'll move on and so will they, while you waste away."

"You can't do that," Caroline protested, her hands shaking.

"You'd be surprised at what I can do in this town, Caroline," Esther replied, folding her hands in her lap. "Especially considering there are quite a few people riding on Klaus winning cases and the fact that his attention seems to be straying from because of you and those damn children is not sitting well with them."

"How will me being locked away in a hospital solve any of that?" Caroline demanded but Esther noted the way her breathing had increased, her hands shaking harder. "He'll need to spend more time with the girls then."

"That's what competent nannies are for," Esther said with a smile that made Caroline's stomach twist. "There's also the option of you leaving."

"I'm not leaving you my children," Caroline butted in and Esther shook her head.

"Of course not," Esther replied. "You'll take them with you. I know just the judge to make something like that happen. Get you and the girls out of this country and back to the small town life that you're supposed to be living."

"Klaus loves them. He loves me. He won't believe that we'd just leave," Caroline reminded and yes, that was true. But love was a fickle thing and Esther didn't doubt for a moment that it could turn to hate with the right motivation.

"I suppose it's a good thing that you won't be talking to him again after this day then, isn't it?" Esther replied and headed over to pick up the girl's phone. "Because you know who's name these pills are in? Yours. Whose signature is on the receipt to have picked them up from pharmacy? Yours. And the sales attendant and pharmacist will both happily testify that it was you who they gave them to. Money is an amazing motivator for so many people."

"You're insane," Caroline sobbed out, her mind a mess as she tried to grab her phone from her.

"I'm a devoted mother," Esther replied, taking the battery out. "Now will you be one as well for your daughters?" She placed a paper in front of Caroline and pushed the girl back down into the chair. "You'll need to be signing this."

"What is it?" Caroline tried to read what was before her but whatever Esther had given her was making it difficult to focus.

"Your papers seeking a divorce and custody," Esther replied, holding out a pen.

"I love him," Caroline cried and Esther pushed the pen into her hand.

"You ruin him," Esther told her. She snapped her fingers and the door opened, two EMTs standing in the doorway, ready to bring her to the hospital. "Which will it be, Caroline? Hospitalized and never quite able to recover from a drug overdose that these gentlemen are here to ensure that happens, or signing the papers?"

"You can't let her do this," Caroline looked at the men, pleading for someone to help her but they didn't even bat an eye, their focus on her instead. She shook her head, not wanting to sign. But couldn't she do that and get the girls out and then go to the police? Go to someone? Anyone? Surely that was an option.

She signed her name as she sobbed, determined to get the babies out of the house and away from the woman. Esther picked up the paper and waved the men off. "And, Caroline, I'm sure you're thinking of all the ways that people can help you out, but I'm sure you remember that I'm great friends with the police commissioner, don't you? He's also not all that fond of Klaus losing that last case. Apparently he had quite a bit of money wrapped up in it somehow. As for your fathers being any help, it would be such a shame if their names ended up on a terrorist watch list, now wouldn't it?" She quite enjoyed how large the girl's eyes were getting with each revelation. "Now rest up. That'll wear off in a few hours and then you and the girls can head off to a hotel while everything gets settled. I'll be back later and we'll work on the letter you'll be writing Klaus about how you don't love him anymore and don't think he's a good father for the children."

She patted the girl's shoulder and headed off, ready to file the paperwork and make sure a copy was sent to Klaus in Germany.

Caroline watched her go, hyperventilating as the door closed. She wracked her brain for who to call, for what to even to and managed to get to the house phone that was on the other side of the room. She picked it up, not at all surprised to find the line seemed to be disconnected.

She could hear one of the girls waking in the nursery, soft cries starting and waking up the other one and Caroline forced herself to work on breathing. She needed to get the two of them out of the house. That had to be her priority, the rest she would figure out after that. Her daughters were the important part.

* * *

**Present Day**

Telling Lizzie that she was going to let their dad know what Esther had said to her was a lot easier than actually doing it. Kol had gone out for the evening, telling her something about setting plans in motion and that left Charlotte alone with Klaus after his day at work. Usually that would have been a good thing, something that Charlotte had looked forward to only the other day, but now she was nervous about telling him what had happened.

She chickened out during dinner, enjoying his tales about work instead as she laughed along as he told her about Lexi's antics. Then had come a movie that she must have fallen asleep during because when she stirred she was no longer downstairs on the couch nestled into his side but tucked into Lizzie's bed.

Charlotte got out of it, intent on finding her father and finally letting him know how the day had gone with Esther. He wasn't in his room though and she nearly headed downstairs to find him there when she saw that the light for the stairs to the attic was on and ventured that way instead. She hadn't gone up there yet though Lizzie had told her that it was her father's sanctuary and where he liked to paint sometimes. She wasn't barred from it by any means but Lizzie apparently rarely went up there, letting it be their dad's private space.

She pushed the door open and heard the soft sounds of some classical music—she didn't have a clue which—and spotted her father at the easel near the window. He was working furiously on a painting and her eyes widened as she took it in.

It was like in the sketchbook back in his office, her mother's eyes but they looked  _so sad_. Charlotte didn't think she had ever seen them that sad before and she wondered what made him keep painting them that way instead of with the joy that Charlotte was used to finding there.

"Why do you keep painting my mom?" She hadn't meant to say that but the words were out before she could stop herself.

Klaus nearly dropped the paintbrush at her voice, though she wasn't sure if he was startled by her voice or the question. "Why do you paint her so sad?" Charlotte continued as she walked over to him.

"Why do you think that this is your mom?" Klaus asked as he placed the brush and palette down.

"Because I've looked at those eyes for the last like ten years. I think I know what they look like," Charlotte told him and watched as he took in those words.

"You've only had that photograph you absconded with for about five years, Lizzie," Klaus pointed out with a gentle tap to her nose.

This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go. It was supposed to be about Esther and what she had said and then go into who she actually was. Not the reverse which was what seemed to be happening. "Promise me that you won't be mad?" Charlotte asked before mulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

Klaus arched a brow at that. "Just because I might get mad about something doesn't mean I love you any less," he reminded and she nodded at that.

"Apparently you and mommy think alike a whole lot because you sent Lizzie and me to the same camp and we met. And we didn't like each other at first cause we're both like super competitive but then the camp leader made us live together and we figured out we're twins and I wanted to meet you and Lizzie wanted to meet mom. So we switched," Charlotte told him, not letting herself take a breath until she got the very last word out, fake accent slipping a few times.

Klaus stared at her, trying to process what she had just said before she continued on, "And then I saw grandma and she was so mean about mommy and said she wasn't ever Mikaelson material and that I had to remember that and she's not part of me anymore but that's not true. Aunt Bekah got me out of there and Uncle Kol took us to the zoo but I don't want to talk to her again, Daddy."

Charlotte brushed at the tears she hadn't even realized she was shedding as Klaus cupped her face in his hands, looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. "Charlotte?"

She nodded before collapsing against him, thankful that he hugged her tightly as she cried against his shoulder. He scooped her up, holding her close as he murmured soothing words to her, brushing his fingers through herhair as he tried to get her to calm down.

Klaus couldn't believe that she was truly there, his little Charlotte. He could remember the last time he'd held her, the last time he'd watched Caroline sing her to sleep, and now there she was in his home, in his arms, and he closed his eyes, intent on memorizing the moment as she calmed down.

His mind turned to what she had said about his mother though and it took all of his effort not to let the rage building inside of him explode. That wouldn't help his little girl out at all right then and there, but he would definitely be talking to his mother in the morning.

Charlotte's breathing evened out and Klaus shifted so that he could stand and carry her down the stairs. He found Kol at the end of them, smiling up at him. "So I take it that you know now?" his brother asked and Klaus simply nodded as he headed toward Lizzie's room and laid Charlotte back down on the bed.

He didn't want to leave her, wanted to stay at her bedside and keep watching her sleep, afraid that if he walked out the door that she would disappear all over again. "You know this means that Lizzie is with Caroline, right?" Kol asked from the doorway and Klaus sighed before bending down to kiss Charlotte's forehead.

Caroline.

He didn't even know how to feel about that fact.

The love he felt for her, coupled with the devastation and confusion over her departure, was something that had never quite gone away. It lingered there always, the questions that he'd had ten years ago renewing themselves in his mind.

Klaus headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, needing a drink after all he'd learned. Kol followed after him, stopping beside the kitchen island. "There's a few things you should probably know about Caroline that Bonnie told me," Kol informed him and Klaus looked over at his brother again, watching him stuff his hands in his pants pockets and roll back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"You talked to Bonnie?" Klaus asked, not sure how he felt about that news or the fact that his brother had known about this switch before he did.

"She had panic attacks for years after the divorce, brother," Kol told him. "Anytime one of them tried to find out what happened, she wasn't able to cope with answering them. To this day Bonnie still doesn't quite know what happened. And I'm guessing you didn't cause some kind of nervous breakdown in her."

Klaus remembered the letter he'd come home, given to him by his mother when he'd walked through the door. Caroline's handwriting letting him know how much she resented being left alone with the twins, with him always working, with him traveling when she needed him. And then the papers seeking a divorce. It hadn't made sense then and the fact that she hadn't answered any of his calls leading up to the custody arrangement had only confused him further. He'd cut back his hours ever since she'd entered his life and reduced them even more once the girls were born but that was the apparent answer she'd stuck with through all the divorce proceedings.

"—with how she talked to Charlotte," Kol said and Klaus realized that his brother had still been talking though he hadn't heard the rest of it.

His mind was going to a million different places, remembering Esther's disapproval, the fury he'd seen in her when he'd informed her and Caroline that he had lost that one case. So many little things were coming back to him, adding up to a picture that he hoped to god wasn't true. The fact that she had hurt his little girl with her words was though and for that alone he needed to inform Esther Mikaelson of her place in his family's life and how there would be none if she didn't respect his children, both of them.

"It seems I'll be having quite the conversation with mother in the morning," Klaus replied and down the scotch he had poured. And then he would figure out the part with Caroline.

 


	11. Chapter 11

_The bad news is, people are crueler, meaner and more evil than you ever imagined. The good news is, people are kinder, gentler, and more loving than you've ever dreamed-tumblr_

* * *

**April 2005**

"We'll need to move the child's things to the room down the hall. A fresh start is in order for us all. Everything that is there can be donated to one of those women's shelters," Esther told the housekeeper who was hurrying after her down the hallway. "Klaus will move rooms as well. I doubt he'll want the constant reminder of that woman the old one will bring. The new furniture for the nursery will be arriving shortly. Make sure it's set up to my specifications."

She handed the woman the layout that she wanted when they stopped at the room that would house the new nursery. The room attached to it would work for the live-in nanny that she was currently looking into. There were a number of candidates who would work nicely; she just needed to determine which of them would understand that her word was to be followed to the letter. They couldn't have another Caroline situation, especially not with the help.

"Where is the child?" Esther asked, wondering which of her children must have wandered off with her.

"Niklaus is out in the garden with her," the housekeeper informed her and Esther pursed her lips at that.

That would not do. He needed to be getting back to work, back into the swing of things or she knew her son, he would wallow and fall into a stupor that they did not have time to deal with. Not after the last trial he'd been part of.

Esther headed out to the garden, finding Klaus with Rebekah and the baby. "But when will you be leaving?" Rebekah asked, her eyes wide and Esther wondered what the girl was referring to.

"Today," Klaus replied as he looked down at Elizabeth.

"Today? Were you even going to tell us?" Rebekah admonished, the high pitch of her voice causing Elizabeth to start crying. "Oh, shhh. I'm sorry. I didn't…"

Klaus adjusted the baby, rubbing soothing circles along his daughter's back as Esther cleared her throat, letting her presence be known. "Mother. Did you know that Nik and Elizabeth are leaving today?" Rebekah asked with a pout, ignoring the glare from her brother.

Leaving? That was definitely news to her. "And where is it that the two of you are going?" Esther asked, wondering what nonsense her son was thinking of doing.

"To the house I purchased for…" Klaus sighed. The one he had purchased for the four of them but now it would only be the two of them.

"Don't be ridiculous, Niklaus. You and the baby are welcomed to stay here as long as you need to. I've already started looking into nannies to watch her while you're away," Esther told him but Klaus shook his head, a sure sign that he wasn't going to listen to her. She hated how stubborn he could be at times.

"Lizzie and I will be fine, Mother. Thank you but this is something that I need to do," Klaus replied as he rose from the bench.

"What about when you're at work? Or late night feedings? Or a million other little things that she'll need?" Esther demanded, following after him and leaving Rebekah to pout on her own. "You've no concept of what it takes to raise a baby, Niklaus. Let us help you."

"Then I suppose I'll learn as I go," Klaus replied as they entered the house. He headed right to the car seat, strapping the baby into it and Esther stared at him, watching as he walked out of the house with the damn infant.

She knew she should have had both of them leave with Caroline but she'd also known Klaus would never have stuck around if all three were gone. He would have gone after them. Esther had thought having one here would bind him to the family even more so since he'd need their help and guidance. "Niklaus," she started again, heading after him, determined to make him see things her way.

He already had Elizabeth and the seat strapped into the backseat of his car and was at the driver's side, ready to go. "At least make sure to come for Sunday brunch so I know how the two of you are doing," she implored, thankful that he nodded before getting into the car and driving away.

"Should I have the new nursery canceled?" the housekeeper asked her as soon as Esther walked back inside.

"Of course not." Was the woman an idiot? She gave Klaus a week at the most before he came crawling back for help. He didn't know a thing about raising a child, about the hardships he would endure with being a single parent, and she would be ready to take that burden from him once he was finished being foolish.

* * *

**Present Day**

Charlotte woke the next day and just stared up at the ceiling of Lizzie's bedroom. She had confessed who she was, told her dad about what had happened, but the rest of it was all a blur. She remembered him hugging her tightly and she guessed that he must have brought her to the room to sleep because she didn't remember leaving the attic.

The room felt foreign to her now. Before everything had been an adventure but now all Charlotte wanted to do was crawl into her mom's bed, hug her mom tightly and never let go. She didn't want to be in England anymore. The excitement had faded and she was desperate for the familiarity of her mom or her Aunt Bonnie or her granddads.

She wanted the sunshine coast, not this humid mess.

A knock at the bedroom door had her turning to face it and she tried to smile as Kol peeked his head in. "So you are awake," he commented, fully pushing the door open.

"Where's Daddy?" She bit her bottom lip, wondering if he was angry with her or disappointed or a hundred other bad emotions that she could think of.

"He went to go talk to your grandmother about how she treated you," Kol told her as he sat down on the bed beside her. As well as a few other things that the two needed to discuss but Charlotte didn't need to hear about. At least not from him.

"Will he be okay?" Because having to confront Esther Mikaelson seemed to be a horribly tough thing and Charlotte wasn't all that sure how well that would go for her father.

"I think she's the one who won't be okay this time," Kol replied and Charlotte slowly nodded.

Good.

Maybe that was a bad thought to have but she really didn't care in that moment. "Am I gonna go home soon?" Charlotte asked and then looked down at her hands that were tightly wrapped around one of Lizzie's bears. "I like you and Aunt Bekah and Daddy. I really wanted to know all of you and I'm really glad that I do but…" The tears started before she could stop them. "I really want my mommy."

Kol pulled her close and Charlotte let go of the bear, hugging him instead. "I already have a flight booked for the three of us to take tonight," Kol assured her and Charlotte squeezed him tighter. "So why don't you go take a shower or a bath or whatever it is you do and then the two of us will go get breakfast and maybe go buy your mom a present that you can give her when you see her again?"

Charlotte nodded against him and then pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "Think she'd like that?" Kol asked and Charlotte nodded again. "Personally I think we should get you a shirt too that says 'My name is now Kollita' but I know we'll probably be getting something Harry Potter related instead."

That earned a laugh which Charlotte knew he'd been aiming for. "Now, go. Get ready," Kol told her as he stood and headed toward the door, stopping at it and turning back to her for a moment. "And I'm really glad that I got to see you again too…my little Kollita."

She smiled at that and threw a pillow at him, laughing again when he dodged it and headed out of the room. Charlotte got out of the bed, feeling a little bit happier. She was going to get to see her mom and her sister again. And maybe having her mom and dad in the same place again could help the two of them see just how much they missed one another.

* * *

**June 2005**

Caroline knew that they all meant well, that her dads and Bonnie and even Grams were only trying to help her, to understand what all had happened. She tried to get the words to come out, to explain what Esther had threatened, but her throat always closed up, her heart sped up and the world just seemed to spin out of control even further than it already was.

"Just rest," Bonnie told her when her breathing finally evened out and Caroline nodded against the pillow, hand clenched tight around the rings she'd finally taken off that day. She couldn't quite let them go and that had caused the questions to come out again.

Her friend brushed hair off her face before leaving her be and Caroline was grateful for the silence, for the darkness of the room. It helped the world stop spinning, to right itself just a little bit more. Having Charlotte in the room helped too, the baby peacefully napping away in the crib just past the bed.

Caroline focused on the baby's breathing, letting the sound of her daughter calm her down further. It took some time but eventually she didn't feel like everything was caving in around her and slowly pushed herself off the bed. She headed to the crib and stood there, looking down at Charlotte, watching her sleep.

At least she was safe, surrounded by people who loved her and wouldn't threaten her, but that thought only reminded Caroline that Lizzie wasn't and she needed to at least try and get the words out to Klaus, to explain.

She fought back the panic that tried to seep back in and take over as she moved to the phone and dialed the long distance number for his cellphone. But it was out of service and she hung up, forcing herself to breathe, to gather the strength she needed to try the Mikaelson Manor number.

If Esther answered she could just hang up. Hopefully the woman wouldn't try and trace it. That thought had Caroline nearly hanging up when a voice answered. It was the housekeeper and Caroline sucked in a breath.

"Hello?" the woman repeated.

"Please don't hang up," Caroline told her with a sob. "I just want to talk to Klaus, please."

"Miss Caroline?" the woman asked, her tone hushed.

"Please let me talk to him," Caroline choked out, the sensation that the room was spinning starting again.

"He's not here, dear. He and the baby moved away. It's alright," the woman assured her and Caroline couldn't help but cry at that. "They're both away from her."

She hung up the phone and slid down against the bed, cradling the phone in her lap as she tried to regulate her breathing, to calm her body down. Charlotte woke with a cry and Caroline pushed the phone away, scrambling to her feet and headed to the crib. She carefully picked up her daughter and held her close, rocking her slowly in her arms as she hummed a tune that she knew usually worked.

Lizzie was with Klaus and not Esther.

Charlotte was with her.

It wasn't ideal but at least she could breathe now.

* * *

**Present Day**

There was so much that Klaus needed to know, that he needed to say to his mother. He tried to reel in his temper, the anger that was boiling inside of him, threatening to spill over with each step that he took through the house. The staff all kept out of his way, no doubt sensing his mood as he walked through, going straight to where he knew she would be.

The garden social wouldn't be starting for another hour but Klaus knew that Esther would be putting the finishing touches to the tables and place settings. He had thought that maybe his anger would lessen a bit once he saw her, that the visual reminder that this was his mother would assuage some of the fury that ran through him, but it didn't, it continued to stew as he made his way over to her.

"Niklaus," she greeted with a smile and stepped forward to kiss his cheek, stopping when she took notice of the coldness in his eyes. "What brings you here?"

"What did you do to her when I was gone?" the words were out before he could stop them. Klaus hadn't been sure which thing he was going to start with first, Caroline's departure or the way she'd talked to Charlotte, but they went hand-in-hand really and Klaus thought he needed to know more about the first to truly get a picture of how bad the second might have been.

Esther turned away, adding more tulips to the vase. "I don't know what you're referring to, Niklaus, nor do I have time for whatever this might be."

He wrenched the damn flowers from her hand and threw them onto the table. "We were happy. Laughing. In love. She was so excited for the new house, to decorate the girls' nursery there," Klaus started and he saw his mother tense at the words, knew she was realizing who he was referring to. "And then I leave for the weekend and suddenly she wants a divorce, won't talk to me, won't answer my calls, won't see me in person, has me barred from the hotel. She wants to take the girls with her, both of them, but willingly leaves with only one?"

None of it made any sense. He'd known that all along, but his grief and his anger had blinded him, keeping him from looking into as closely as he was now. He had been too hurt, ripped open by Caroline leaving that all he had been able to focus on was Lizzie or the world would have caved in around him. And once the hurting had begun to heal he had kept his focus on her, afraid of what he would find if he hadn't, convinced that he must have done something awful even if he couldn't fathom what it might have been.

"What happened, Mother?"

Esther turned to look at him and he knew that calculating look a little too well. Hadn't he seen it after the Tatia incident with Elijah? "I did what had to be done in order to protect this family."

"What does that even mean?" Klaus demanded, following after her as she picked up the flowers again.

"A real mother will do anything for her children," Esther replied as she moved to the next table.

"Even let them make their own decisions?" Klaus countered and she turned back to him with narrowed eyes.

"I stopped you from ruining yourself," Esther told him and Klaus knew she was referring to that one lost trial. One in a long career of successes.

"Did you have a part in her leaving?" Could he ask it any clearer?

"That hardly matters considering she left," Esther shrugged, setting the flowers back down. "She left you and Elizabeth. She left and she never looked back. How is that love?"

"You didn't answer my question," Klaus replied and wasn't that an answer enough?

"I gave her the proper incentive to leave," Esther told him as she sat down on one of the chairs. There was no regret, no remorse in her voice.

"Like you did with Tatia for Elijah? Like you've done with countless of Rebekah's boyfriends? Except Caroline never would have accepted money from you. She didn't need it." Klaus wracked his brain, trying to think of what his mother could have possibly said to get Caroline to leave. "So again,  _what did you do_?"

"She's gone. What does it matter now?" Esther replied and he didn't like how utterly calm she was with that answer. "I don't see why you're asking me all of these questions now anyway. She's out of our lives. Why drag the past into light now when you should be focussing on your and Elizabeth's futures?" She fiddled with the napkins, pursing her lips as she looked at them before rising. "Monique! I think I want these folded the other way that we talked about."

Esther looked back at Klaus. "Is that all because I have important things to do now, Niklaus?"

He stared at her, wondering what could have possibly made his mother the way she was. He knew she wouldn't be giving him the answers that he needed. Only one person would be able to do that and he would hopefully be seeing her in a day or so depending on how long it took to travel to California.

Klaus took a deep breath, the guilt over not having looked harder into why Caroline had left rearing its ugly head, the thought of having left her to the vicious beast that was apparently his mother eating away at him. But there was another pressing matter that he needed to hash out with her.

"No. I'm not quite done yet," Klaus told her, his voice growing even colder, harsher than before.

"Niklaus," she started and he shook his head.

"I don't know how many times you've bad mouthed Caroline in front of her before, how many times you've made my daughter feel awful and for that I will always hate myself for letting her be alone with you, but like hell am I going to allow you to continue doing so to either of them," Klaus replied and then headed toward the door, conversation over.

"Be reasonable, Niklaus," Esther called out, following after him. "I don't know what the child told you but—"

He stopped and whirled back around toward her. Esther stopped short of him, taken back by the ferociousness that she saw there. "You hurt her," Klaus replied. "That's all that I need to know. That's all it takes for me to walk out of your life for good."

It should have been a simple enough thing for the woman to not do. Hurting a ten year old, making them cry as Charlotte had done…he couldn't comprehend someone who was supposed to love her doing that and not seeing how wrong it was. He couldn't help but wonder what all she must have said to Lizzie over the years, what all his daughter had hid from him and his heart ached to see her, to hold her and apologize profusely for not keeping her from the madwoman.

"Sweetheart, you don't mean that," Esther started as she scrambled after him and down the stairs toward the car he was heading to. "It was a few careless words. I'll speak to her and we'll sort this all out."

He could see the fear finally stirring in her eyes when he looked back at her. She could see that he meant this, that there wasn't a chance to come back from this. He was walking away for good and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"She's young, she'll forget and it'll be fine," Esther continued and he shook his head in disbelief as his mother continued to dig a bigger hole for herself.

"Goodbye mother." Klaus closed the car door and sped off, leaving Esther to deal with the broken pieces on her own. He heard her calling out his name but there was no guilt eating at him for finally leaving her behind, only freedom, and plans beginning to form in his head as he drove toward where Kol and Charlotte were waiting for him.

* * *

**June 2004**

He hadn't expected to meet anyone on the cruise. The whole thing had been for Kol's benefit, a supposed last hurrah before the boy was supposed to buckle down and get serious about life. Klaus had thought that was about as likely to happen as a caterpillar turning into a bee instead of a butterfly.

But here he was on the beach with Caroline, tiny black box in his pocket, and a question dying to be asked. It had to be the perfect moment but then he also knew that there time together was growing more and more limited with each passing day. It was that realization that had him seriously contemplating his life, what he wanted from it, who he wanted in it. The thought of disembarking the boat in a week and Caroline walking out of his life forever was a blow that he didn't want to endure.

There were no guarantees that she would say yes. She was so young and as much as Klaus believed she loved him asking her to leave her life behind and come to London with him was a huge step for her. But he had to try and if it didn't work then he'd figure out another way to keep her in his life. Maybe he could move to the US. They needed lawyers too, didn't they?

She was laughing as she spun around and with the sun beginning to set in the distance Klaus knew that this was the perfect moment. "Caroline," he called out, closing the distance between them and catching her hand.

She grinned at him, that smile that always seemed to make his heart skip a beat. "I didn't expect this. Who goes on a cruise and meets the love of their life? The one that lights up their world with just a smile?"

"Klaus," she started but he shook his head and pressed a finger to her lip before moving to kneel down. "Oh my god."

"What I do know is that I don't want to see what life is like without you now that I've found you," Klaus continued, watching Caroline pressed a hand to her mouth, tears beginning to swell in her eyes as he took the small box out of his pocket. "Will you marry me?"

Her mother's words echoed in her head again, telling her to grab those moments and never let them go. "Yes," Caroline told him, crying happy tears as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

She nearly fell into the sand beside him but Klaus was up in seconds and kissing her senseless as she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," she murmured as their foreheads touched and she looked at him.

"I love you," he murmured back before spinning her around and earning another of laughs. He tugged her close again, smiling as she rested her head against his shoulder, and reveled in the utter perfection that he felt while holding her on the beach as the sun finally set around them.

* * *

**Present Day**

Lizzie knew that she needed to tell her mom who she was but actually getting the words out was a lot harder than she'd thought it would be. Bonnie kept looking at her and she had a feeling that she knew what her aunt was thinking but Lizzie couldn't quite muster the ability to come clean. Not even after her aunt had left for the evening.

She'd been in bed for an hour, staring at the ceiling and unable to sleep. Lizzie had a feeling she wouldn't be falling asleep until she finally gathered up enough courage to actually talk to her mom like she was supposed to. Slowly she climbed out of bed and made her way down the hall to Caroline's room.

She had done this before on that first night when she hadn't wanted to sleep alone, when she'd wanted to be close to her mom after so many years of being apart. She pushed the door open and spotted her mom sitting at her vanity and staring into the mirror, her hand locked around the rings hanging on her necklace.

"Can I sleep here again tonight?" Lizzie asked, breaking Caroline from her thoughts.

"You can always sleep here if you need to," Caroline assured her and Lizzie practically ran to the bed and quickly got under the covers.

Caroline headed over to it as well, shutting off the lights as she went. "So are you going to tell me why you and Aunt Bonnie kept passing secretive looks to one another?"

Lizzie ducked under the covers at that, pulling them up over her head so she wouldn't have to look at her mom while she said what she needed to. "Cause she's knows I'm gonna leave soon."

"Oh really? And where is it that you're going to go?" Caroline teased, tickling her daugher though the covers. She was pretty sure there were no more trips scheduled anytime soon.

"Back to London where my father is," Lizzie murmured, letting her accent come out. The tickling stopped and Lizzie slowly peeled back the covers to look at her mother's shocked expression.

"What did you say?" Because clearly she must have heard that wrong but from her daughter's expression she knew that she hadn't. "Lizzie?" The girl nodded and Caroline pressed a hand to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh my god." She gently touched Lizzie's face as she looked down at her, trying to memorize every inch of her.

Lizzie launched herself into Caroline's arms, so happy that her mom hugged her back just as tightly as she hugged her. "You got so big," Caroline murmured into her hair. "Of course you did." It was just that she hadn't thought she'd see her for years to come and then who even knew how that would have gone once the two turned eighteen. "I just…I remember when you were so little." Two months old and crying because the woman from the court was taking her away, leaving Caroline with only Charlotte.

She'd known Lizzie would have grown up, would have looked exactly like her sister, but she had still been emblazoned in Caroline's mind as that two month old. She remembered the exact outfit she had been wearing—a little white dress with cherries on it with a matching hat and stockings. She'd had the purple pacifier in her mouth but it had come loose when she'd started crying and the woman had left it on the floor. Caroline still had it in drawer in the vanity. It was one of her last ties to Lizzie. Ten years later and that was still how she saw her other little girl but here she was and Caroline held her a little tighter, unable to help rocking her back and forth like she used to.

Lizzie clung to her. This was different than all of the other hugs that were really meant for her sister. This one was all hers and the tightness of it, the way her mom wouldn't let her go solidified the fact for Lizzie that her mom really did love her.

"But how?" Caroline finally asked as she pulled back a little, though she still held onto Lizzie. She wasn't ready to let her go, convinced she might disappear, that this would all be a dream.

"You and Daddy sent us to the same camp and we met. Char wanted to meet Dad and I wanted to meet you,' Lizzie told her and Caroline nodded. It would be just like her and Klaus to pick the same camp for their daughters. "I don't know what we were going to do after that really. It was only supposed to be a few more days before we let you and Daddy know. But Charlotte let him know today because of grandmother."

Caroline froze at that, dread filling her at the mention of that woman. "What happened with your grandmother?" she asked, watching Lizzie look away, noting the way her daughter tensed. She knew that feeling all too well, had gotten it countless times around Esther and it broke her heart to know that Lizzie had dealt with it, that apparently Charlotte had now as well. Her daughter didn't say anything and Caroline pulled her close. "She is never going to hurt either of you again."

She needed to talk to Klaus, to fill him in on everything like she should have done years ago. The panic was trying to set in again at just the thought of doing so, of uttering the words out loud, but Lizzie's arms hugging her tightly helped Caroline push it down, to overcome it for a bit. "We'll call your dad in the morning, okay?" Once she figured out how to get his number. Surely Lizzie had to know it.

Lizzie nodded and the two of them laid down, Lizzie curling up against Caroline. She watched her daughter fall asleep and kept pushing the fear down, focusing on the other things she was going to need to do. Like calling Tyler and letting him know that dinner was canceled. Among other things. But for now she would lay there and watch Lizzie sleep, something she hadn't been able to do in far too long.

* * *

Caroline knew that this wouldn't exactly be an easy phone call. No one liked being broken up with, not even when the breakup was mutual. But right now was not the time for her to be dating someone let alone considering a marriage proposal. Tyler was a nice, decent guy who she enjoyed spending time with but her daughters—both of them—were her priority and Caroline knew that their lives were about to all be turned upside down even more than they already had.

She might have only had Lizzie for a few days and Klaus had Charlotte for only a few as well, they might not have contacted one another yet, but she would be come morning and Caroline had a feeling that the current custody arrangement wouldn't be able to stay the same. It wasn't fair to the girls. It wasn't fair to either of them.

Maybe she was getting too far ahead of herself and everything would go back to the way it was but that still meant she would need to focus her attention on Charlotte who would have lost her father and sister all over again.

"Hey babe," Tyler greeted as he answered the phone and she frowned at that.

This was so not the conversation to have over the phone but doing it in person would mean postponing it and that really wasn't fair to anyone involved. "I'm going to have to cancel Friday's dinner," she told him, needing to get the words out as quick as possible. Maybe it was tactless but it was too late to take them back now.

"Excuse me?" Tyler asked, and she could hear the anger in his voice at that before he must have calmed himself. "What happened?"

"There's just a lot going on right now and having Charlotte meet you won't work." Partly because Charlotte technically wasn't in town.

"So you want to push it back then? Maybe next week?" Tyler suggested and Caroline looked out the window, seeing Lizzie's reflection in the glass.

"No. I don't think it's going to be happening," Caroline clarified and the silence stretched between them as he processed her words.

"What about the proposal?" Tyler asked and Caroline touched the rings that were looped on her necklace.

"I can't marry you. And let's face it, Ty, you deserve someone who would've happily said yes when you first asked," she murmured, and where was the lie in that? If she had truly loved him then wouldn't she have said yes right away? Wouldn't she have already had him meet Charlotte months ago? But she hadn't and wasn't that a huge sign that the two of them weren't meant to be.

"I can't believe you," Tyler started and maybe before her realizations his anger would have got to her. "My mother was right about you."

He hung up on her and Caroline hung up as well and set her cell down on the vanity. It would hurt him for a bit but it would be better in the long run. He'd see that in time.

She quietly walked back to the bed and slid in beside Lizzie. Caroline watched her sleep, her mind a mess as she tried to figure out exactly what she needed to tell Klaus when she called him in the morning as well as gather the strength she would need to explain what all had happened between herself and Esther all those years ago.

 


	12. Chapter 12

" _You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart."-Louise Erdich_

* * *

**In the air, somewhere over Colorado**

"Dad?"

Klaus Mikaelson had been called that for at least nine years, some version of it in the form of 'dadada' for an additional few months, but it was music to his ears each time he heard that word come out of Charlotte's mouth. He hadn't expected to hear it from her for a few more years, if ever once she turned eighteen. But there she was beside him on the plane, looking exactly like Lizzie, though her mannerisms were much more like her mother's. He'd always seen bits of Caroline in Lizzie but with Charlotte it was to an entirely new degree. The way she pursed her lips or played with her hair, even how she swung her legs while sitting. All of those were reflections of Caroline and Klaus ached to see her again.

He had no idea what might happen once they were in the same room again, not with so many years between them and all the chaos that had been the last month Caroline had resided in London. Her scent hadn't lingered on his sheets for long but she'd been a presence he could never quite shake, one that he'd never really wanted to get rid of completely.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Klaus asked, focusing his attention of Charlotte who was sitting next to him on the plane. She had her ipad—well, Lizzie's ipad—set up in front of her and was pursing her lips at it in deep contemplation.

"I've got internet on this, right? Cause its how I watched the movie after we took off." Klaus nodded and took note that the little symbol indicating that the internet was working was on in the left hand corner. "So will FaceTime work?"

"It should work. It may be delayed a little though," Klaus confirmed for her and watched as she happily accessed it. "Who are you wanting to speak to though?"

"You'll see," Charlotte grinned at him and then turned back to the ipad, her smile widening when her sister appeared on the screen. "Hi, Lizzie."

"I was wondering if you were going to be able to make it this time," Lizzie replied and Klaus noted that it looked like she was in a bathroom. He could see the towel hanging behind her as well as part of a tub. "Mummy is sleeping." She must have seen him in the background because her eyes widened in delight. "Daddy!"

"There you are, little love," Klaus smiled at her and Charlotte adjusted the iPad better so he could talk as well without having to lean too far. "I see you took to heart your uncle's lessons a little too well with this switch."

"You're not mad, are you?" Lizzie asked and then bit her lower lip in worry.

"Not at either of you," Klaus promised. A little worried about the two of them and grateful that they were both alright despite being ten and trying to navigate countries they'd never been in before. Two months as an infant didn't count in Charlotte's case.

"Are you mad at Mummy?" Lizzie's voice was soft and Klaus could feel Charlotte stiffen beside him at the question. Klaus shook his head. No, he wasn't mad at Caroline. If anything he was concerned and still a little confused about all that had happened. "At grandmother then?"

"Yes." But they didn't need to get into that right then. Though… "You're never going to have to see or do anything to do with her again. I promise."

Lizzie nodded and it tore him apart to see the relief in his daughter's eyes at that statement. He was going to need to talk to her more about that, to apologize for not having seen what his mother must have been saying to her all of these years, but Klaus wanted to do that in person. He wanted to be able to hug her as he'd done with Charlotte, give Lizzie that comfort that he knew they both would need.

"We're gonna be in Cali in a few hours though, okay?" Charlotte told her, breaking the tension that had fallen among them.

"Oh good because she knows and she's going to call you. Though probably not until the sun comes up here," Lizzie added and Klaus looked down at his watch, noting the time. It was well before sunrise.

"You need to sleep," Klaus told her and Lizzie laughed.

"I will, daddy. I was but I woke for mine and Charlotte's scheduled chat." Lizzie was never one to miss an appointment if she could help. "Also, Charlotte, I heard her cancel the Friday thing."

"Oh really?" Charlotte leaned forward and Klaus watched as the two's smiles seemed to turn rather wicked. "Good. Cause we so didn't need to deal with that too."

"Agreed," Lizzie replied and Klaus arched a brow, wondering what the two were talking about. "It's nothing, Daddy. Don't worry." She paused for a moment and tilted her head as if she was listening to something they couldn't hear. "But I should go now. I'll see you both soon. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Char."

"I love you, little love," Klaus replied as Charlotte offered up her 'I love you' as well and then cut off the feed and then turned off the ipad.

"Are you really not mad at Mom?" she asked as she looked over at him before pressing her lips together in concern.

"No, I'm not mad at your mother." The anger he'd had over her leaving had faded with time and after learning all he had—even if he still had so many questions—anger was definitely not an emotion he held toward Caroline. Guilt was there, running rampant through his veins, but that was a conversation to have with her and not Charlotte. "Anger is not something I feel for your mother, Charlotte."

"It was 'cause of her wasn't it? Grandmother? She's why Mom left, isn't she?" Tears welled in Charlotte eyes and Klaus tugged her close, letting her cry into his shirt. "Why didn't she want us to be happy?"

That was the question, wasn't it? And it was one he didn't think they would ever really get answered. Not in a way that made sense. "I don't know," Klaus murmured, hugging her a little tighter. "But she's not going to stop us from being happy now."

That he could promise. That he would ensure for as long as he lived. Esther Mikaelson would have no part in his family ever again and Klaus knew he wasn't the only sibling who felt that way.

Kol let out a rather large snore from the seat beside him, earning a giggle from Charlotte and Klaus chuckled as well. "We so gotta record him as proof that he does that," she told Klaus as she turned on the iPad again and handed it to him so that he could record his brother.

"Both of you can sod off right now and let a bloke sleep," Kol muttered, trying to swat the iPad away which only caused Charlotte to laugh harder, though Klaus handed the ipad back to her, thankful that she pulled out her headphones to watch a show.

Kol pushed up the eye mask he'd been wearing and fixed Klaus with a pointed look. "And you're welcome for cheering her up," he told him before pulling the mask back into place.

Klaus shook his head, unable to stop smiling. He certainly wouldn't have guessed ten years ago that his younger brother would have become the most stable in his family, but he was definitely grateful to have him around. Even if sometimes he still really wanted to swat him over the head.

* * *

**London**

Esther didn't know what she was going to do about Niklaus' ridiculous tantrum. She supposed giving him some space to calm down would be for the best. Especially since he was refusing to answer her calls. He was much too like Mikael in that regard, having a temper that would cloud his judgement if pushed too far, and she'd learned when it was best to stop pushing long ago.

So she had done her event and the house was finally clearing of everyone who had attended and all she wanted to do was relax in a nice, hot bath and headed upstairs to do so. She didn't expect to find Rebekah home. Certainly didn't expect to see her throwing clothes into a suitcase while men she didn't know were carefully packing other items into boxes.

"What are you doing?" Esther demanded to both the men and her daughter.

"What does it look like, Mother?" Rebekah countered with a voice that Esther had long ago deemed to be 'haughty'. It was one she despised being on the receiving end of and she had thought she'd gotten the girl to realize not to take that tone with her by then. "I'm leaving."

Those were two words that Esther Mikaelson could never stand hearing, especially not from her children. Maybe it came back to those being the last two words Henrik had shouted out before he'd ran out the door to follow after his brother, never to utter a single word again. Or perhaps it was because Mikael had said the same thing to her before getting in the car accident that had ended his life. Either way, they were two words she never liked hearing from her children.

"Excuse me?" Surely she had heard wrong.

"Just into Nik's place right now until I find my own," Rebekah clarified, stuffing another pair of jeans into the case. "But it gets me away from you and really that's what matters."

Esther laughed at that, unable to believe her ears. "Oh come now, Rebekah. You'll hardly be able to enjoy living with that child and your brother."

"That child is my niece. Who I happen to love very much," Rebekah bit out with a scowl. Though it was true, living with Klaus and Lizzie for too long would become too much but her plan wasn't to stay like she'd done at her childhood home. "It should only be for a few weeks and besides, Nik's gone. "

The air seemed to grow colder around Esther at that news, almost like it was trying to drag her down. "What?"

"Oh yes," Rebekah was entirely too happy to reveal that bit of information. She really enjoyed her mother's shocked expression. "He left yesterday after his conversation with you."

"Left for where?" Esther demanded and Rebekah simply shrugged. She wasn't about to give that away. "Rebekah—"

"You might want to talk to Elijah. I'm sure he'll have gotten what Nik left for him on his desk by now," Rebekah continued with a smirk as Esther's phone rang. "I bet that's him."

"Elijah?" Esther answered her phone and Rebekah snapped her suitcase shut before tugging it off the bed.

She looked back at the men and motioned to the boxes they were still packing. "Bring all of these boxes to the address I gave you. Let me know if she tries to give you any trouble with that." She didn't really want to call the police on her mother but she would if needed.

Rebekah couldn't leave just yet, wanting to see her mother's reaction to the news Elijah was telling her. The horror that spread across Esther's face, the terror that seemed to be in her eyes as she looked back at her had Rebekah smirking.

Nik had given Elijah his resignation and wasn't that a huge slap in the face to the woman who'd worked so hard to ensure he kept that job. "We're not chess pieces for you to maneuver around anymore," Rebekah told her and headed toward the door. "Goodbye mother. Maybe you'll luck out and Elijah will stick around for you, but I doubt it."

She left before her mother could say another word to her, feeling freer than she had in a very long time.

* * *

**California**

When Caroline Forbes was stressed she always turned to the one thing that seemed to ease her frenzy: stress cleaning. She'd woken up just before sunrise and had been unable to fall back asleep. Lizzie was tucked in the bed against her and she'd simply watched her daughter sleep for a while, memorizing every inch of her little girl But the realization that she was going to be talking to Klaus had begun to sink in, leaving the awful feeling of a pit in her stomach that she simply couldn't seem to get rid of.

She had slipped out of bed and headed off to the kitchen to clean. She was quiet, not wanting to wake Lizzie who she knew needed the sleep after the emotional upheaval of the night before.

Caroline was terrified of seeing him again. Part of her had dreamed of doing so countless times but dreams weren't reality. Her dreams didn't take into account how she'd left, how he didn't know all that had happened, and the beautiful reunion that they would share was something she couldn't see happening outside of her head.

She had never gotten over him, never really moved on, wasn't that why she wore the damn rings on a necklace around her neck. Close to her heart and not so easily discarded right there. She remembered the letter she had written him under duress, how she had been forced to blame him for what was happening and it twisted inside of her that he might feel guilt over her words. He must have hated her for leaving, for having Charlotte, for having tried to take Lizzie too.

Except Lizzie didn't seem like a child who had grown up learning to hate an absent parent. She was loving, she was eager to know her, she had willingly traded places with Charlotte for a chance to know her. So that contradicted the idea that he'd have hated her in anyway, wouldn't that have bled through to their daughter?

Caroline scrubbed harder at the sink. It wasn't shining enough for her liking in the current state that she was in.

"The yellow rubber gloves, huh?" she heard Bonnie ask and glanced over in the direction of her friend's voice to find Bonnie there with a bag of groceries. "What happened to cause you to resort to this tried and true coping deal?"

Caroline paused mid-scrub. "I have to call Klaus." And then she was scrubbing harder than before, needing the damn faucet to sparkle like it had when they first moved in. "I have to get Lizzie—because that's who's asleep in my bed right now. Not Charlotte, but my little Lizzie. I have to get the number from her for her father because the girls apparently met at camp because Klaus and I apparently still think enough alike to send them to the same camp?" She didn't know when the tears had started but Bonnie was at her side before she finished the last question and handing her a paper towel. "I have Lizzie, Bonnie. She's here and she's so perfect and I just…"

She forced herself to take a deep breath, needing to calm down. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up Lizzie and have the girl see her crying. Bonnie nodded and took the brush she'd been using from her. She was much too calm in Caroline's opinion and avoiding eye contact. That was a patented 'I am hiding something' Bonnie trait.

"How long have you known?" Caroline asked after a moment, leaning against the sink as she crossed her arms.

"Only a little over a day?" Bonnie told her and Caroline sighed at that. She'd have run a hand through her hair but with the gloves on that just wouldn't work in her favor so she held out her hand for the brush.

Bonnie shook her head and dropped the thing into the trashcan. "That still had at least one more good scrubbing in it, Bonnie Bennett," Caroline gasped, looking at her friend as though she'd lost her mind.

"I think you've done enough scrubbing for one morning." Bonnie wasn't about to budge from her spot. She remembered how Caroline had gotten a can of pledge out of the trashcan after her mom's death so she could keep on cleaning.

"Let me cope how I do it best, Bonnie," Caroline protested but Bonnie shook her head and crossed her own arms. "Ugh, do you have any idea how annoying you're being right now? I haven't talked to him in nearly ten years." She had tried that once but it hadn't worked. "And now I have to because we're going to need to face one another. Charlotte might have flown to camp by herself and apparently across the ocean but we can't just send them back like that. There's no way this arrangement can continue. Not now that they know one another." Not now that she'd met Lizzie. She didn't know how she would keep going if her little girl was ripped from her life all over again and Caroline might not have seen Klaus in years but she had a feeling he would feel the same about Charlotte.

And then there was just him, just seeing Klaus again that was throwing her for a spin.

"Mummy?" The two turned to see Lizzie heading toward them, stretching as she walked. "What are you doing?" She wrinkled her nose as she looked at the two adults, clearly confused about the staredown.

"Your mom is freaking out because she's going to have to call your dad," Bonnie told her, earning another glare from Caroline.

"Oh you don't have to," Lizzie told the two of them as she sat down on a stool at the kitchen island.

"Why not?" Caroline asked, turning her attention to her daughter who was reaching for one of the bananas to eat.

"Cause he's already on his way here with Charlotte," Lizzie continued and Caroline was pretty sure that the world had frozen for a moment there. It no longer spun around, no movement of any kind happened at all for a split second.

And then the front door opened and Charlotte was running to her. "Mom!"

Caroline wrapped her arms around her daughter, hugging her close as she noted how tightly Charlotte was hugging her back. "Daddy!" she heard Lizzie cry out and Caroline looked up just in time to see Kol leaning against the wall while Klaus was sweeping Lizzie up into a hug.

"I missed you," both girls murmured at the same time, causing everyone in the room to laugh for a brief moment before Kol closed the door.

Seeing Klaus again for the first time in a pair of shorts and a tank top while she wore her big, yellow cleaning gloves was not exactly how Caroline had pictured that this meeting would start, but whenever had anything gone precisely how either of them thought things might go? She looked back at him, bracing herself to see anger in his eyes, for distance that had never been there before.

There was none of that.

Only a smirk she hadn't realized how much she'd missed seeing until it was in her life again and that look only he ever seemed able to give her—the one that made her feel like she was the only girl in the world that he saw. "Stress cleaning again, love?" Klaus asked and Caroline shrugged, pulling away from Charlotte a little so she could take the gloves off.

"It's a completely valid way to cope," Caroline started and the smirk turned into a smile, showcasing his dimples. "I'm gonna go and change and Lizzie should too." She looked down at Charlotte who was still hugging her tightly. "Why don't you show everyone the house?"

"Okay, Mommy," Charlotte grinned up at her and Caroline hugged her tightly one more time before reluctantly pulling away. "We can show you my room first, Daddy. You should come see it too, Uncle Kol. And maybe Aunt Bonnie?"

"Your Aunt is coming with me." Because Caroline knew she was going to need Bonnie in her room to keep her from freaking out about everything that was happening. Also what was she supposed to wear? What did one even wear when seeing their ex again for the first time in ten years? "But go. Maybe start outside so your sister has time to pick out some clothes before you take her to your room."

"Probably a good idea," Charlotte conceded and slipped away from her to grab Klaus' hand. Lizzie was already heading off toward the bedrooms and he took Charlotte's hand, though his focus was still on Caroline.

"We'll just be a few minutes," Caroline assured, tugging on Bonnie to follow her toward the back of the house as well. Caroline could feel Klaus' gaze on her as she left and glanced back over her shoulder. She could almost sense his thoughts from the fear that flashed in his eyes right before she closed her bedroom door—what if she was about to disappear from his life all over again. But then Charlotte was talking and Caroline heard Klaus and Kol laugh so she turned her attention to her best friend.

"What the hell am I supposed to wear?"

* * *

Klaus had known that seeing Caroline again would awaken pieces of himself that had laid dormant for years. He'd been worried that it would open up old wounds that had never really healed properly and had steeled himself for that. He hadn't expected the sucker punch to his gut that seeing her in front of him again had brought about. He had so many questions, wanted to know so many things, and those would need to happen. But she looked healthy even if she was doing her classic cleaning to cope behavior he'd come to know well when she was pregnant. It was stifling the urge to sweep her up into the same hug that he'd done to Lizzie, to hold Caroline close and never let her go again that he was having to battle down.

Perhaps she blamed him for not seeing what was happening in his mother's house all of those years ago. Maybe she hated him for not looking harder into her leaving, into all that was going on when the insanity of the divorce proceedings and then custody arrangement all came to pass.

He saw her startle at the sight of him, but Klaus didn't think he saw any anger there. If anything there was fear and he didn't like that at all. A thousand different scenarios ran through his head on why Caroline would fear his presence and none of them were something he wanted her to be feeling or thinking.

They were going to need to talk without the girls being present soon, there was no way around that, but there was someone else he needed to talk to first and see if she was on board with the plans he had already been formulating on the plane ride over. Because it wasn't just his life that would be changing if he moved forward, it was Lizzie's as well and he needed to know what she thought. She was still his number one priority, though now so was Charlotte. He couldn't possibly walk out of his other little girl's life.

So he excused himself from Charlotte and Kol who were walking around the backyard and headed back to the bedrooms to find Lizzie slipping into a pair of flipflops. "I thought it might be a good idea for the two of us to talk for a minute," Klaus told her as he closed the door.

He couldn't help but look around the room though, getting a little more insight into who Charlotte was with the color scheme and decorations that adorned the walls. Nor could he help seeing bits of Caroline shining through in all of it too.

"Okay, daddy," Lizzie sat down on the bed and scooted over so that he could sit as well. "Is it about grandmother?" Because she didn't really want to talk about that woman anymore. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything about what she was telling me. She didn't always say mean things and she…" Lizzie looked down at her hands and shrugged, not really wanting to say anything else.

Klaus tugged her to him and wrapped an arm around her. "No, little love. That isn't your fault at all. You shouldn't have had to say a word." She never should have been in that position in the first place and it was going to take Klaus some time to forgive himself for letting his mother talk him into those visits. "But you're never going to need to see her again."

"Never?" Lizzie wiped at her eyes. He had promised that already when he was on the plane but it was nice hearing it again.

"Never," Klaus promised and kissed the top of her head. "What do you think of California?"

Lizzie pulled away a little at that. "It's a lot sunnier than London" She had that knowing little look that she seemed to always get whenever she knew precisely where his thought process was going. "I think that I would like living here." She pointed over to a door near them that didn't exit into the hallway. "That's to the bathroom. And the bathroom connects to another room that's just like this one. But there's no furniture there. I checked. I think mummy was saving it." For her.

Klaus smiled at that. It would be just like Caroline to do something like that. "But what about all of your friends? Your school? Wouldn't you miss that?" Because he needed her to realize what all she'd be giving up.

"I would," Lizzie conceded as she wrinkled her nose. It took a moment but then she looked at him. "But I would miss Mummy and Charlotte a lot more. Besides Disneyland isn't far away. My friends could come and visit." Klaus nodded, knowing it wouldn't exactly be that easy. "Plus I'll make new friends. I couldn't make a new Mummy or Charlotte."

No, she really couldn't. "But what about Uncle Kol and Aunt Bekah? Or Uncle Elijah?" Lizzie continued, a little less certain.

"Well, I'm sure they would all visit the two of us wherever we might be." Though Klaus had a feeling that it might be some time before Elijah spoke to him again.

Lizzie nodded, smiling once again. "Then I'd like California a lot, Daddy," she told him before hopping off the bed. "Come on. Did Charlotte show you the pool?"

"I saw it briefly in the tour of the garden," Klaus told her, letting his daughter take his hand and tug him toward the door.

"It's not a garden, Daddy. It's a backyard," Lizzie laughed and Klaus smiled as the door opened, hearing Charlotte's laughter as well. The sound only convinced him further that the changes he wanted to make were the right choice.

* * *

It had been going so well, all of them sitting out on the back patio listening to the girls recount how exactly they had met at camp. Caroline hadn't been surprised at all to hear of the competition that had struck between the two of them. It would be just like their two daughters to have competitive streaks but it was the love that had developed between the two girls once they figured everything out, how they had so effortlessly worked together to help one another be their twin that amazed Caroline the most.

She glanced at Klaus out of the corner of her eye and unlike her he seemed to be getting angrier with every word the girls said. It wasn't exactly apparent. He still laughed where he should, smiled at the girls as they talked, but Caroline saw the tightened hands, the tenseness in his shoulders, and she couldn't help but think that he was angry with her for having taken one of his daughters away from him.

"We need to talk," Klaus finally said, his words cutting through the laughter that had erupted and causing it to cease. He smiled apologetically to Lizzie and Charlotte whose eyes had widened and were looking between Klaus and Caroline, obviously concerned.

Caroline nodded and then glanced over at Bonnie while Klaus looked at Kol. "So lunch!" Bonnie clapped her hands together. "I'm thinking we should definitely go and get some of that right now."

"Or ice cream," Kol suggested and Bonnie glared at him. "We can have ice cream for lunch."

"That's not a balanced meal," she countered, ushering the girls toward the backdoor.

"It would be if we put fruit on it. Though chocolate syrup would be better," Kol replied as Bonnie grabbed the keys to the car from their bowl and steered the group out to the driveway.

"Should we go inside?" Caroline finally asked when the car could be heard heading out of the driveway.

"That would probably be best," Klaus replied and Caroline nodded, motioning for him to go first. Inside probably was better. Her neighbors didn't need to hear the conversation that would be happening.

She shut the door behind her and rubbed at her arms, not sure what to say, how to start the conversation that they obviously needed to have. "Do you want something to drink?" she settled on, making a step toward the kitchen. "I have water. Maybe some juice. Milk."

"I'm not thirsty, Caroline," Klaus told her and she nodded again, not really wanting to turn around to look at him.

She might have thought he hated her all of these years but actually turning and seeing it in his expression, hearing him tell her it was a blow that Caroline wasn't sure she could handle. Not that she could blame him for it though. Their little girls were perfect together and she'd had a hand in breaking that up. She hated herself for that so why shouldn't he?

Caroline forced her body to turn, to face Klaus as she tried to maintain a calm exterior even if she was anything but calm on the inside. "We're going to need to change the custody arrangement," she began, not quite able to look at him, heading over to grab a paper and pen instead. "I don't think keeping them apart like we were is going to work. Maybe we could split summers, holidays? That way they can be together at least some of the time." Though Esther. God, she needed to bring up Esther.

"The custody arrangement isn't why I wanted to talk to you," Klaus told her, stopping her in her tracks. "Though yes, we're going to need to figure that out." She placed the pad of paper back down as he continued. "I've been wondering for years now what happened that weekend that I was gone. When I left that Friday you were happy, or at least I thought you were." Because he had that photograph of the four of them and she hadn't looked as happy as he remembered.

Caroline froze at his words, the pen tight in her grasp as she listened to him talk, waited for an actual question. "But then I arrived home to find you and the girls gone and my mother—" did she imagine the disgust when he said those words? "—handed me a letter and papers signed by you to start the divorce proceedings."

She could only imagine the shock that must have been for him, the devastation that must have settled in when he'd read what she'd been forced to write. She hated herself for causing those emotions in him and tried to say something, but her words were all caught in her throat.

It took Caroline a second to realize that he was standing behind her, that she feel practically him, could hear his breathing much closer than before. "What did my mother do, Caroline?" Klaus asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Caroline shook her head, the pen falling out of her hand as she braced herself against the counter. She hadn't expected the question but it was the comfort in his touch that was her undoing. She pushed away from him, away from the counter and walked backwards. She didn't deserve that comfort, didn't deserve the worry that she could see when he looked at her.

"I wasn't strong enough," she finally got out, her back bumping into the wall. She slid down it until she hit the floor, hands pressed against her forehead as she tried not to cry. "I should have been stronger." They would have been a family still then. They would have been together. Their girls wouldn't have needed to endure Esther Mikaelson.

Klaus was kneeling in front of her in seconds, his anger at his mother spiking all over again. Hadn't their daughters blamed themselves as well for what Esther had said to them, for how the woman had made them feel, and now here was Caroline doing the same thing. "Sweetheart," Klaus started, taking hold of Caroline's hands. He could never handle her crying, it tugged at his heart in ways nothing else quite did except for their daughter's cries.

"She drugged…." Caroline could feel her throat starting to close up, the sensation that she couldn't breathe starting all over again. It had been years since she'd gotten this bad and she tried to fight through it, needing him to know, wanting to explain. "Men lock me…hospital." The words wouldn't come out though, the panic overwhelming her the more she tried to fight it.

Klaus scooted over to the wall and pulled her close, brushing through Caroline's hair. "You're okay, sweetheart," he murmured into her hair. "You're safe. She's never going to come near you or our girls again. She can't do anything to you. To any of us."

Kol had told him that this had apparently happened to her before, but seeing firsthand was different. Knowing that she had done this for years after leaving London, that something his mother had said and done had resulted in this kind of fear had Klaus holding her a little tighter. He never wanted to let her go, wanted to shield her from the pain that she had endured, that he'd been unable to keep her safe from all those years ago.

It took some time but Caroline eventually calmed down, holding on tightly to Klaus still. "She drugged me. There were men, Klaus," she managed to get out, using his comforting presence to keep her grounded. "She was going to overdose me, have me locked in a hospital, so drugged up that I would never know them. She threatened my dads. She…" Nothing else would come out and Caroline could feel the panic wanting to take her over again, but Klaus held her tighter, his murmured words keeping her calm.

"I was supposed to get both of the girls. I thought we'd be clear from her. She wouldn't be able to hurt them and if we were all gone I knew you'd come," Caroline murmured. But she'd only gotten one. Something had changed and Lizzie had been left behind and Klaus had never come for them. Not that she could blame him for that. Why would he when he thought that she hated him. "I should have been stronger, I'm sorry."

Esther must have realized that if all three had gone that eventually he would have headed off to find them. Keeping Lizzie in his life must have been a means to still control him, to keep him at the firm and home. He had thrown a wrench into that plan by moving the two to his own place, but he hadn't gone looking for Caroline and Charlotte and that must have been enough for his mother.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Caroline," Klaus tried to assure her, but it only caused her to cry harder and for him to hug her tighter. "She put you in a hopeless position. You were so young." And in a country that she was only just beginning to learn. With two babies that she was simply trying to protect and it had all crumbled at her feet, leaving her a mess. "But she's not able to do anything to you or to our girls. Not anymore."

Not to anyone ever again if he had his way.

"I tried to talk to you once but your phone," Caroline murmured and Klaus shut his eyes at that, silently cursing himself for having changed his phone number. "But the housekeeper said you had moved out with Lizzie so I thought…" She'd thought it'd be okay.

Klaus pressed his lips against the crown of her head. "We did, into the house that I'd bought for us." He hadn't meant to make her cry harder at that. "I was going to tell you when I got back from that weekend. We were going to move into it that next week. Mother must have found the papers for it." The ones he had kept hidden so he could surprise Caroline with the good news. It must have set Esther off to know that they would be out of the house and any control she might have would end as soon as they were out her front door.

"I missed you," Caroline breathed out, her voice barely audible but Klaus heard it and smoothed the hair from her tear stained face as he got her to look at him. The necklace she'd been wearing had come out from under her shirt and he spotted the wedding ring on it and watched her clasp it with her hand before looking away.

He tilted her chin up so she was looking at him again. "I missed you too," Klaus told her before leaning his forehead against her own, just wanting to breathe her in. "Even when I was angry that you'd left, when I didn't know what was happening, I missed your voice, your laugh. I watched Lizzie grow and I saw you everywhere in her. I thought of Charlotte and how she must have been growing like this as well. And I thought of you, remembered you singing them to sleep, your smile…" He hadn't been able to keep mangoes in the house because they reminded him of her too much, even though Lizzie loved them.

"Charlotte has your stubbornness," Caroline started and Klaus laughed at that as he entwined their fingers with his free hand, the other kept brushing her cheek.

"I believe that's your stubbornness," Klaus butted in and Caroline shook her head as she let go of her necklace, that hand moving to the fabric of his shirt.

"No. She gets the same look you do whenever you don't want to do something but have to," Caroline murmured and Klaus couldn't stand the minute distance between them any longer. So he pressed forward, lips brushing against hers, testing out the waters to see if she'd back away, but Caroline didn't. Instead her grip on his shirt tightened as she kissed him back, their entwined hands giving one another a squeeze.

It felt like coming home.

"I'm not losing either of you again," Klaus murmured as they broke apart for a moment.

"Klaus," Caroline started, pulling a bit away from him.

"I already resigned from the firm," he told her, keeping hold of her one hand and bringing the other back to her cheek.

"What?" She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"I'm thinking the California sun is a much better option for raising children than the dreariness of London," he continued with a smile, enjoying the disbelief in her eyes.

"Klaus," she tried but the words stuck in her throat.

"Lizzie seems to agree with me. She said she'd rather make new friends than be away from her mother and sister. I agree," Klaus told her as he brushed fresh tears from her cheek. These were different though, joined with a smile that he could see starting to bloom.

Caroline's head was reeling. Having the two of them live there would definitely make a redefined custody arrangement so much easier but…the two of them…she wasn't exactly sure how that would work. "Like I said I'm not going to be able to walk away from the two of you, not when I should have come after you ten years ago," Klaus sighed and it was Caroline's turn to offer him comfort, her touch letting him know that she didn't blame him at all for that. "Maybe we'll fall into a nice little friendship."

She gave a wry smile at that. "We could never just be friends."

"No, we really couldn't," Klaus grinned, enjoying the slight blush to her cheeks at that. "But I'll wait until you're ready, until I'm ready."

"What if I'm never ready?" It was a fear she had. What if she couldn't take that leap of faith again? Too scared to step forward even if she truly wanted to with him.

"You will be," Klaus told her and she shook her head at that.

"So confident," Caroline murmured.

"Well, I did manage to win your heart in less than a week," Klaus pointed out and she wrinkled her nose at that before her expression softened.

"And you never lost it," she replied and it was her that initiated their kiss that time.

"Ewwww!" they heard from behind them and broke apart to see Kol, Bonnie and the girls at the door.

"Sorry, forgot my wallet," Bonnie murmured, looking apologetically at the two of them.

"You owe me ten bucks," Kol pointed out smugly.

"Does this mean we're moving here?" Lizzie asked, clapping her hands.

"We can totally paint your room!" Charlotte told her, practically jumping with excitement.

Oh boy. "Girls," Caroline started, but Bonnie was already ushering everyone toward the door again as she'd retrieved her purse.

"Maybe we can get bunk beds," Lizzie told Charlotte as the door closed behind them.

Caroline groaned, knowing that the four of them were all going to need to sit down and talk everything through. But Klaus was tugging her back over to him and his smile, plus the one that she could feel herself giving in return had the worry that had started to course through her again slide away.

He was kissing her again, much more intense than before, all of the longing they'd had for one another the last ten years seeming to pour into the kiss. Caroline never wanted to let him go and could feel that same notion in the way he held tightly to her.

It would no doubt be a bumpy ride and there would be a lot of kinks to work out along the way, but they would figure this out. And most importantly they would do it together as a family and this time no one would be able to break it apart.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

" _You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear."-Oscar Wilde_

* * *

**End of July**

There were only a few more weeks left of summer vacation and considering the whirlwind that the first half of summer had been, the plan was to enjoy the rest of the summer doing things near their home. It would give time for decorating Lizzie's room and allow Klaus to get to know the lay of the land. Getting a job had taken less time than he'd thought it would, his reputation as a lawyer having several firms seeking him out once it was clear that he was staying in the area. He picked the one that allowed him the most freedom with his schedule and allowed him to not start full time until the girls were officially back in school.

He was currently renting an apartment only a few miles from Caroline's house, knowing that moving into her place wasn't quite something that would happen yet, not even with how happy they were to be in one another's lives again. But it had enough bedrooms so the girls had their own on the nights they stayed with him or at least that had been the plan.

More often than not they spent the day together—just the three of them if Caroline was working, but usually it was the four of them since she was doing as little as she could until the girls went back to school as well—and then went out for dinner together or he cooked for the four of them at the house, staying for dessert and movies or late night swimming, leaving only after Caroline and he finished reminiscing for the night.

His bed had never felt bigger, especially knowing she was only a few miles away and alone in hers as well. Caroline was adamant that they not rush into things and he was going to respect that even if all Klaus wanted to do was hold her close and never let go.

"Daddy!" Lizzie called, directing his attention toward his three girls who were heading toward where he was setting up their beach umbrella.

Klaus grinned at them and then watched his daughters run toward him, their beach towels flung over their shoulders while Caroline carried the cooler with drinks and snacks. She wore a yellow sundress and he was trying to not think about what exactly she was wearing underneath it.

"We're going to go in the waves," Charlotte told him as the two dropped their towels down beside him. "We already have sunscreen on and everything."

"Don't go out too far," Caroline shouted after the two as they darted down to where the waves met the sand. She set the cooler down and looked over at Klaus. Wasn't there some law that said your ex…well…sort of ex…current suitor…boyfriend person wasn't supposed to have grown hotter with age? Because she was pretty sure she was going to need one of the waters out of the cooler soon.

Caroline realized that she was staring and silently berated herself for not having her sunglasses in place instead of perched on top of her head. "Need help with that?"

"I think I've got it, love," Klaus told her and she tried not to shudder at the accent plus smirk that had been regular fantasy in her dreams for the last few years, even more so in the last few weeks.

"Alright, if you're sure," Caroline shrugged and placed the towels under the umbrella before moving on to set up the chairs Klaus had brought along as well.

It was his turn to get caught staring as she pulled the sundress over her head before folding it to rest on one of the chairs. He remembered her bikinis from the cruise, her perfectly suntanned skin and wasn't surprised to see that if anything her body was more toned. Klaus was certain that the white one that she was currently wearing would definitely be featured in any and all dreams he had that night.

"Did you get your back, love? I remember that was always the hardest to reach part for you," Klaus told her, unable to keep longing out of his voice as he kept his gaze on her while holding up the sunscreen lotion.

"There's always that one spot you just can't get," Caroline grumbled, though the aerosol sprays did make it a little easier. She should probably let him know that she was good but then again he was only looking out for her and she really wouldn't have minded feeling his hands on her again. Even if that was so not at all yet supposed to be happening yet according to the schedule she had meticulously made for their getting back together.

Klaus patted the spot on the towel in front of him, bottle at the ready, and Caroline sat down crosslegged in front of him. She could remember the first time he'd done this when they were on the cruise, how she'd nearly come undone with just his hands all over her back, and how she'd ended up making out with him on the deck chair once he was finished.

Making out was NOT allowed to happen this time.

Caroline pulled her hair up and out of the way, securing it in a bun with her hair tie. She nearly jumped at the cold sensation of the lotion hitting her back and then again when his hands touched her skin. She searched out for the girls, trying to focus on the two of them instead of the way his hands felt against her or the need that it was stirring again.

They were happily splashing in the waves and she was nearly overwhelmed by melancholy over the fact that they almost didn't have this moment. That if her and Klaus hadn't accidentally sent them to the same camp that all that had transpired might never have come to pass.

Klaus felt the tension in her shoulders though and it didn't take long for him to deduce what she was thinking, not when he followed her gaze and had the same thought. Klaus finished up her back before pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "They're happy, love. Focus on that, not what could have been," Klaus told her and Caroline looked back at him with a small smile. "Now come on, let's go join them in the waves or you know we'll never hear the end of it."

She didn't expect Klaus to swoop her up once she was standing, walking her over to the surf, but Caroline couldn't stop laughing as he took her over to where their daughters were, turning around with her in his arms while Charlotte and Lizzie continued to jump in the waves. They were there, together, and really that was the part that mattered.

* * *

**August**

Klaus had learned long ago that an anxious Caroline could be a rather amusing one. It was the tapping of her foot, the way she bit her lip as she continuously looked down at her watch, before ordering even more tea every time the waiter showed back up at their table. "I'm sure everything is going just fine, Caroline," Klaus tried to reassure her as he placed a hand over her one that was on the table.

The touch seemed to calm her some, the tapping of her foot stopping at least. It was nice to know that he still had that effect on her. "It's her first day of school. She was so nervous this morning," Caroline reminded before downing more of her ice tea.

"Her first day of school here and Lizzie has Charlotte to look out for her. She'll be fine," Klaus promised, confident that his daughter would handle the change just fine.

They had made the decision to have the girls in the same class, figuring it was better for Lizzie to have the familiarity of Charlotte when everything else around her had changed. They knew Charlotte would help her out with anything that might be different that the two of them couldn't think of, both having finished elementary school decades ago.

"She's good at making friends and I'm sure she'll charm their teacher in no time," Klaus continued as he rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand.

Caroline nodded, certain that he was right in his assessment, but she knew she wouldn't stop worrying until they saw the girls in an hour. "So when do you start at the firm?" Maybe focusing on other matters would help get her mind off Lizzie.

"Next week," Klaus replied with a smile. He was looking forward to it. Becoming a lawyer for one of the environmental protection groups in California hadn't been something he ever thought he might do. But he liked the causes the group stood for and the hours and commitment that they wanted worked really well with the lifestyle he wanted to create with Caroline and their girls. It would be an interesting change from what he had been doing.

She grinned, enjoying how happy he seemed to be with going to it. Caroline had never seen him this happy when he'd headed to work back in London. It was a good look on him and she really did hope that he would enjoy the change, especially since he'd made so many in the last month or so.

"I also got the restraining order put into place and it should be delivered to Esther sometime tomorrow," Klaus informed her, keeping up the gentle stroking of his thumb with that bit of news.

Caroline tensed for a moment at the mention of the woman but slowly breathed out before nodding. "Good. I'm glad that's done." Neither of them wanted the woman anywhere near their daughters or to be able to have any contact with her. They'd ensured that the school knew not to let her anywhere near the girls if she did bother to show up in California. But she didn't want to think about that woman anymore than she had to. "So what are we doing on Friday?"

Klaus shook his head before tsking at her. "You know I'm not going to say."

Caroline pouted. "I hate surprises."

"You'll like this one," Klaus promised, amused as she continued to pout at him. He hadn't told her yet about what they were going to be doing for their scheduled date night and he wasn't going to start now.

"But how will I know what I'm supposed to wear?" she asked her usual question and Klaus grinned as he put down enough bills to cover their late lunch before moving to pull back Caroline's chair as she stood.

"Whatever you'd like," Klaus replied, loving the way she rolled her eyes at him. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed that trait of hers until she was doing it to him again.

Her hand easily found his as they headed out into the sunny weather and headed toward his car. His phone started to ring and Caroline arched a brow when his eyes widened a little at the name on the screen. She wondered for a moment if it was Esther calling but Klaus turned the screen so she could see it.

"Are you trying to reach Caroline, Bonnie?" Klaus greeted as he answered the phone and Caroline pulled out her own, wondering if she'd accidentally put the thing on silent, but no, the sound was on.

"Klaus Mikaelson, how the hell do I get your brother to stop stalking me?" Bonnie demanded, loud enough so that Caroline could hear her as well.

She tried hard not to laugh, knowing Bonnie would pick up on that as they arrived at the car. "One moment, Bonnie," Klaus told her as the two got inside and buckled up.

As soon as the car started Bonnie could be heard through the speakers. "If he's not texting me insane things, he's tweeting me them or emailing them to me. I don't even know how he got my email."

"Probably from the group one I sent out about the Labor Day BBQ at my dads' place," Caroline informed her, steeling herself for Bonnie's answer.

"The bbc function is available for a reason, Caroline," Bonnie admonished and Caroline tried not to laugh as Klaus looked over at her, dramatically nodding along to what Bonnie said. "This will all die down soon though, right? He'll move onto bugging the next woman in a few weeks?"

"Usually I'd say yes," Klaus began as he started to drive. "But I'm afraid that Kol's plan is now to move out here so I'm not sure if he'll stop in his pursuit of you anytime soon."

"He's moving out here?" Caroline and Bonnie asked at practically the same time, though Caroline was much more excited over the prospect of it than Bonnie seemed to be.

"That's what he told me last night," Klaus informed them and Bonnie groaned. "But we're about to pick up the girls from their first day of school, Bonnie. Perhaps you could try emailing Kol back and telling him that you're not interested? Unless you like the attention he's giving you, of course."

"You're not even remotely funny, Klaus," Bonnie muttered. "But give my love to the girls."

Klaus hung up the call and Caroline shook her head. "She complains about it, but I don't think she's ever actually told him to stop. She just keeps on replying to him," Caroline murmured as they continued on toward the school.

"And that will only have him continuing to contact her," Klaus replied with a laugh. "Though I think this might be the first time Kol has ever moved somewhere to be near someone. Usually he moves to get away from people."

"Maybe he can get Bonnie to loosen up some," Caroline offered as Klaus pulled into one of the parking spots.

"I'm hopeful that she'll get him to settle down some," Klaus told her and Caroline smiled at that before they got out of the car to head to where the girls' class would be dismissed from. Klaus wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her closer as they stood with the rest of the parents and nannies who were waiting. "I'm sure it went just fine, love."

Caroline rested her hand over his own, giving it a squeeze as they waited for the classes to come out. All of her tension was quickly released when they spotted Charlotte and Lizzie animatedly talking with another girl as they headed outside with their class. Though she had to stifle the urge to hug them both tightly when they waved goodbye to their classmate and headed to the two of them. No point in embarrassing them in front of newly made friends.

It seemed that Lizzie and Charlotte didn't much care about what the others might think as they pulled their mom and dad apart to hug them. Everyone else had their parents for ten whole years and might be over the hug stage, but Lizzie and Charlotte definitely weren't. "So how did it go?" Caroline asked as they all got into the car.

"It was lovely," Lizzie replied and Charlotte nodded.

"And we don't have any homework this week so its even better than last year," Charlotte pointed out.

"Well besides needing to read the first chapter of the book," Lizzie reminded, and Charlotte shrugged because that was nothing.

"We'll have that done in less than an hour," Charlotte told her and Lizzie nodded.

"What book?" Klaus asked as he headed toward Caroline's house.

"Bridge to Terabithia," Charlotte told him.

"You already read that," Caroline reminded her and Charlotte simply grinned.

"So have you," Klaus said, looking back at Lizzie through the rearview mirror.

"Like I said we'll have it done in less than an hour," Charlotte beamed and Lizzie laughed. "Can we go in the pool when we get home?"

"As long as you make sure your mother goes in with you so she doesn't try to help me with dinner in the kitchen," Klaus informed the two of them, not surprised when Caroline swatted him. "There are some things you're just not that good at cooking, Caroline."

"You take that back," Caroline admonished, the girls a chorus of 'Oooohs' behind her.

Klaus shook his head. "You'll have more fun with us in the pool anyway, Mummy," Lizzie informed her. "And when Daddy is done cooking we can all sit around and tell him how much better it would have been if he let you help him."

"And then have ice cream for dessert," Charlotte added.

"While we watch another 'Once Upon a Time' episode," Lizzie clapped her hands, obviously excited for their plans.

"I feel like this all suddenly went against me," Klaus muttered, though without any real anger as he pulled into the driveway. But the three of them were laughing and he was walking into the home with them, ready to spend another evening with his girls, so a little conspiring against him didn't seem so bad.

* * *

**December**

The girls were with her dads for the weekend, on a camping trip at one of the state parks near them. While she was a cabin girl for whenever Stephen and her father convinced her that camping could be fun, the four of them were apparently roughing it with tents. Caroline thought they were crazy but the twins had been ecstatic about it and as long as they had a good time then that was what mattered.

It also meant that Klaus and her were alone for the first weekend in a long time. So instead of heading out for date night they had decided to stay at her place with Klaus making dinner while Caroline had provided dessert. It had gone perfectly but was nearing the point of night when Klaus would usually leave, the two of them putting away the newly washed dishes.

"What are we doing?" Caroline finally managed to get out as she stared at the plate in her hand.

"Cleaning up so you won't be out here an hour after I leave fretting over ants making their way into the house," Klaus replied as he took the plate from her to finish drying.

"No, I mean…" She leaned back against the counter with a sigh, the wet dishtowel set down on behind her as she looked over at him. "This." She motioned between the two of them. "You're here for breakfast every day, Klaus, and when you're not working, you're here. Even when the girls aren't."

Klaus nodded as he listened to her explain their situation. He didn't like the pit that was growing in his stomach. He had thought that it was working out well for them. They were getting closer again, opening up to one another again, and that had to be a good thing, right? Though maybe he was smothering her with his presence. The thought of spending more time in that lonely apartment though left him cold.

"And let's face it this love that I feel for you," she continued, pulling him away from his thoughts. "It's not going to lessen. It didn't lessen for ten years and now it only keeps growing with every passing minute. So I know you probably have like six more months on your lease or whatever but I hate when you leave. I hate going to bed alone in my bed when I know you're only a few miles away. I hate not waking up in your arms."

Klaus blinked. That definitely hadn't turned out at all like he thought it was going to but he pushed himself out of his stupor and was in front of Caroline in seconds. "I hate not waking up with you there as well," he murmured, his hands sliding up and down her arms.

"Move in with us?" she asked and he leaned his forehead against hers, bringing smiles to both of their faces.

"There's nothing more I'd like to do," Klaus replied. Aside from marrying her again. He had the ring picked out but he wasn't about to ask her in the kitchen, not when he'd done such a phenomenal job the first time. Besides, Christmas was only a few weeks away and he liked the idea of giving it to her then with the girls present.

Her lips were against his though and all thought evaporated as he focused on kissing Caroline. They'd kissed a number of times since being reunited but that was about as far as she'd let them go with her not rushing things policy. But now she was tugging one of his hands from the counter where he'd placed them to cup her breast through her shirt and the two of them groaned against the contact.

"I know they're both like miles away with my dads but we are so not doing this here," Caroline murmured against his lips. Because knowing their luck for some random reason they could come home early and she did not want the twins finding the two of them naked in the kitchen. "Bedroom."

He really didn't need to be told twice and they headed back toward it, Caroline tugging her shirt over her head as soon as they entered the room before shimming out of her skirt. Klaus arched a brow as she sat down on the bed, reaching behind to undo the hook of her bra. "I'm so not patient," she shrugged. It had been far too long and there were far too many clothes between them.

Klaus chuckled at that before removing his shirt and pants as well. The bra came off slower, the straps tugged down before she finally let it fall to the floor. Klaus was at her side in moments, kissing her as his hands slid up her sides, across her stomach before moving to cup her breasts. He had missed touching her, feeling her skin against his, but as his thumb brushed against her already hardening nipple and she let out a gasp he realized that it was the noises that she made that he had missed the most.

He wanted to take the time to memorize her body all over again, to kiss every inch of her skin, to taste her, but Caroline's hand sliding under the band of his boxers let him know that she wasn't joking about not being patient. He helped her out of her panties, tossing them away as she began stroking the length of him.

Their lips barely left one another, only breaking apart to breathe or when she was gasping or making delightful noises when his fingers stroked her between her legs before eventually curling inside of her. It might have been ten years but Klaus still remembered how to touch her, now to press against her to drive Caroline over the edge and he tugged her hand from his boxers, needing to see her come undone, to know that he could still bring her that kind of pleasure.

He wanted to paint this expression, this one of absolute bliss as she cried out trembling against him. He needed to erase those sad eyes he'd been stuck on for years and have this picture seared in his mind instead. "Boxers off," she managed to get out and Klaus compiled before easily slipping between her thighs.

He paused for a moment, looking down at her, needing that sign that she wanted this and once she gave it he was pressing inside of her. They found their rhythm again and it was over far more quickly than he had wanted, though that just meant they were going to need to have a round two.

Klaus was ready to start memorizing her when he noted that she was crying. "Sweetheart?" he asked, fearful that he had hurt her or that perhaps she had regretted it.

But Caroline pressed her face into his neck, arms wrapping tightly around him. "I missed you so much," she sobbed.

Klaus hugged her just as tightly, smoothing down her hair as he shifted them so that she was laying against him. "I missed you too, love. More than I'll ever be able to express."

"I don't ever want to lose you again," she breathed out and Klaus pressed a kiss to her head as best he could.

"I won't let you," he promised, feeling her relax a bit at his words. Nothing was allowed to ever come between the two of them ever again.

* * *

**Two years later**

It had been a beautiful ceremony which really wasn't all that surprising considering that Caroline had been the one to plan it, but it still amazed her how much of a difference two years could make in someone's life. The reception was still in full swing, Klaus on the dance floor happily alternating between swinging both their daughters to the music while Kol danced nearby with his new bride. Caroline didn't think she had ever seen Bonnie look that happy. Though she couldn't help but laugh as annoyance spread across her friend's face after Kol murmured something in her ear.

Something told Caroline that her brother-in-law deserved the swat to his arm.

"I feel as though you lot are trying to get me to move to this slice of the world," Rebekah commented as she sat down beside Caroline. "First making me come for your wedding last year and now this one of Kol's." She reached over and placed her hand on Caroline's baby bump. "Not to mention I'll have a little nephew soon that I'll need to spoil along with those girls."

"You know you're always welcome," Caroline reminded her, laughing when Rebekah jumped as the baby kicked.

"I still find that so odd," Rebekah murmured before leaning back in her chair. "I've staked my claim on the guest room I want already but I've one more year of school and I will finish before I set off to do anything else." It might have taken her a while to do it but completing her undergrad was an accomplishment that she wanted to achieve. Whether or not she'd use the degree was another story considering she could live just fine off of her trust fund. "Besides I like New York and one of us should be near Elijah."

Caroline glanced over at where their older brother sat, quietly talking to a few other family friends who had been invited. Though the matriarch of the Mikaelson family was absent. Not that she'd even been invited. "At least they're finally talking again," Caroline replied with a sigh.

That was more than any of them could have hoped for two years ago after Klaus had resigned and Elijah had been left to deal with the fallout. Klaus might have headed back to London for a few days to help deal with things that needed to be done but the anger Elijah had felt would only ease with time. That finally seemed to be happening.

"Well mother is finally out of his life so I think Elijah realized that he would like to keep the rest of you in it." Rebekah shrugged. It might have taken her older brother a little longer to realize all their mother had done to him and the others but eventually he'd seen reason. And he did seem to be doing well in New York. "But I think its time I meet that Matt fellow over there."

Caroline laughed at that and watched as Rebekah headed off toward one of her and Bonnie's childhood friends. That would definitely be an interesting match if anything happened with it. "Are you hungry, Mummy?" Lizzie asked as she took over Rebekah's seat before leaning over to get close to Caroline's stomach. "Hi, Henry. Are you doing somersaults?"

"I'm pretty sure he'll be a little acrobat when he comes out," Caroline sighed, feeling the baby move inside of her again. "I could could use some water. I'm waiting for the cake before I eat anymore."

"The cake should be happening soon. Charlotte's trying to convince Uncle Kol and Aunt Bonnie to hurry on up with it," Lizzie informed her nodding toward where the three were on the dance floor. "But I'll go get you some water."

"Thanks, sweetie." She smiled and watched her daughter head off. Changing countries had been a little more difficult than Lizzie might have thought it would be at first but she had adapted well to the change, easily making new friends and enjoying the new school. Though Caroline didn't think either of the girls had truly relaxed and not waited around to be greeted with packed suitcases and told that it wasn't going to work out until Klaus and her had announced that they were going to get remarried.

Even after a few months when he'd moved into the house the girls had still been a little wary but when the rings were finally back on their fingers and once she was Caroline Mikaelson again instead of Caroline Forbes the weariness vanished.

Learning she was pregnant had worried Caroline, not sure if the girls were ready for a new baby in their lives when they were still getting used to having each other around constantly, but they had been ecstatic with the news and even more so when Caroline and Klaus had learned they were going to be having a boy.

"Now Dad won't be the odd one out," Charlotte had commented, making them all laugh.

It had all been going perfectly so of course Esther had shown up.

The restraining order had been hand delivered to her but it seemed she hadn't taken the thing seriously. That changed once she spent a night in county lock up that night. She had been gone the next day and hadn't tried to bother them since.

Though from what Rebekah had told them things weren't going all that well for Esther back in England. Something about embezzling funds from her organization and being blacklisted from all of her usual society events. Karma really was a bitch.

"You're going to want to get up for this next part," Klaus informed Caroline as he headed over to her and then helped her up from the chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. My feet just swelled a bit so the flip flops had to come off." The floor was cool though beneath her feet at least. "Cake time?"

"Charlotte managed to convince them to move the timetable up," Klaus laughed as he wrapped his arm around her while they walked toward the cake everyone was beginning to gather around.

"Just you watch, she's going to become a lawyer when she's older," Caroline shook her head in amusement as she spotted the girls smiling conspiratorially at one another.

"Only if she wants to," Klaus murmured and Caroline pressed a kiss to his cheek in agreement.

Watching Bonnie smash cake into Kol's face brought about a chorus of clapping and laughter before the music started all over again and Klaus eased Caroline onto the dance floor. "I'm not ready for this to start," Klaus groaned after a moment and Caroline arched a brow at him, wondering what in the world he was talking about.

He shifted them so that he could see the scene unfolding a few feet away. There were their daughters and some boy happily chatting away with them. "Let them have their fun," Caroline told him, tugging him back to focus on her.

"Looks like Stephen is heading over there anyway," Klaus grinned, nodding to his father-in-law who plopped himself down on the chair near the girls and joined in on the conversation.

"I wouldn't look so smug. Stephen helped me get my first boyfriend," Caroline told him, chuckling as Klaus' jaw dropped a little at that before his attention focused back on her.

"Have I told you yet how ravishing you look in this dress?" he asked, earning another smile from her.

"Only like ten times today," Caroline murmured as he spun the two of them.

"I'm behind on my quota," Klaus sighed rather dramatically and shook her head at him as the song ended and they left the floor.

"You're doing just fine, husband of mine," Caroline promised as he pulled her close. "Better than fine really."

"I love you," Klaus told her. No matter how many times he said it to her or she said it back those three words really did mean so much to the two of them. Especially after ten years apart when they hadn't been able to do so.

"I love you," Caroline murmured back, loving the smile that blossomed any time she said it.

"They're going to kiss now," Charlotte murmured, causing the two of them to look over and find their daughters standing there with cake and a bottle of water in their hands.

"I have your water," Lizzie held it out to Caroline who slipped away from Klaus and took it, thanking her with a smile.

The four sat down at their table. "So who was that boy—" Klaus started, earning wrinkled noses from the twins.

"You're such a dad," Charlotte told him and Lizzie nodded in agreement while Caroline tried not to laugh at that.

"I'd hope so," Klaus replied before snagging some of her cake off the plate.

Caroline watched the two banter back and forth while Lizzie slipped onto the bench beside her and Caroline wrapped her arm around her. "I'm really glad we all came together again," Lizzie whispered and Caroline kissed her daughter's forehead.

"So am I, little love," Caroline promised before looking around at the three of them.

Maybe they couldn't get back those ten years that they had lost but the four of them were definitely up for the challenge of making sure they enjoyed every moment they did have together from now on. And as Bonnie and Kol headed over, followed by Rebekah and her fathers, Elijah finally edging toward them as well, Caroline knew that their family was only going to keep on growing.

And wasn't that the most important part?

Because that's what families were supposed to do, love and grow, and every single one of them would ensure that's what happened from then on in the Mikaelson-Forbes families.

"What are you thinking?" Klaus murmured as he kissed her shoulder while the others all happily chatted away.

"Just that I'm so happy we finally found our home again." Because home wasn't a place, it wasn't a house or a country. Home was the people she loved and she'd finally gotten all of them again with a new one on the way and many more to be added.

"So am I, love," Klaus replied while wrapping his arm around her waist and letting it rest on her stomach. None of it might have gone how any of them wanted, so much hardship in the middle for far too long, but they were a family again and that was all that mattered to Klaus. He had his siblings. He had Caroline and their beautiful daughters. Soon they would have their son. And his mother with all of her deluded ways was far away from them where she could no longer do any of them harm and they could live as they wanted.

"It's good to be home."

 


End file.
